These Demons Have Staying Power
These visits to alternative reality are from a variety of sources. Included are Facebook (fb), twitter (tw), Futility Closet (fc), All Aphorisms, All The Time (Aph), Texts From Last Night (tln) , and Overheard in New York (ony). Attempts to maintain a no profanity blog will be suspended for this post. ~ @bukquotes “these demons have staying power.” ~ Charles Bukowski (tw) ~ Good for him. He wanted to accomplish walking across niagara, I’m hoping to accomplish not throwing up tomoro nite, we all have our own priorities in life. (tln) ~ We hooked up. It felt slightly wrong considering he is my foreign exchange student but there’s a reason America imports. Foreigners got the goods. (tln) ~ ts official the day you get back into town we are having a going away to jail party for me. My last wish before prison is to shit faced drunk with you, get into a fist fight, and then cuddle up and fall asleep. Just like old times (tln) ~ Tomorrow, you will get a text, and it will bE spelled right, that’s me yo, certify ya soon (tln) ~ “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.”–Napoleon Bonaparte” (fb) ~ The acquisition of knowledge allows room for growth. That’s only if and when you are willing too grow. (fb) ~ “Philosophy consists very largely of one philosopher arguing that all others are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add that he usually proves that he is one himself.” — H.L. Mencken (fc) ~ “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – MLK (fb) ~ With Due Respect, I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral ethics. But please treat with absolute secrecy and confidentiality. I am Dr. Ouadrago Mathieu, currently retired director general & former auditor for banquet de l’ habitat ; Ouagadougou Burkina Faso, while reviewing the current items decease account relating to the decease bank customer , I discover sum of $ 9.2 million united state dollars only yet to our unsatisfactory organs and un able to indicated the true beneficiary owned to these funds. I need your kind jestures, willing fully to assist me in transferring these funds into your account. If you are interesting, i will focus your sight to inherit these funds. Contact me at: ouadragomathiu@yahoo.com Hoping your information. Dr. Ouadrago Mathieu.~ This video has been reported to be age-restricted. Dailymotion understands that some content may not be appropriate for all users. We provide a Family Filter so that you can choose the content best suited to your personal interest.Turning OFF the Family Filter may display content that is only suitable for viewers over 18 years of age. ~ Click the button below if you are over 18 and would like to turn OFF the Family Filter. ~ Благодарение на интереса и желанието на участниците миналата седмица, правим второ издание на групово дишане в София — на 12 юни 2012, от 19:30 ч. отново в Юнити. Заповядайте! :) (fb) ~ herndondavis@aol.com When you discussed the violence in our society, you forget the verbal violence of the Jesus Worship Church. Preachers verbally abuse their flock every sunday, and they say glory amen. Is it any wonder that many so called men of G-d have anger management issues? This goes for white preachers as well… the color of your skin is not a valid excuse. ~ CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged or confidential information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of this email is prohibited. IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: Under U. S. Treasury regulations, I am required to inform you that any tax advice contained in this e-mail or any attachment hereto is not intended to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid penalties imposed under the Internal Revenue Code. ~ @KimKardashian Gonna challange myself today at the gym! (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Getting your news from Twitter is like asking a cat for directions. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Patriotic billionaires: instead of funding yet another superPAC, maybe build an emergency room? (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport The gender gap the GOP is dealing with may have to do with women’s irrational desire to control their own bodies. (tw) ~ Redirected from Jesus Christ · Public Figure · Corona, California Description above from the Wikipedia article Jesus, licensed under CC-BY-SA full list of contributors here. Community Pages are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic. (fb) ~ If any of my friends, associates, or members of the global community feel that being connected to me on here will compromise their safety (as a minority and/or member of an oppressed group (or “groups”)) and incite oppression on them for certain content posted (LGBTQ/feminist/queer/radical community organizing/etc. media), I encourage you to close our connection on here for your safety and disregard any concerns about how it will be received by me, because it’s perfectly okay. We all live in different circumstances and your safety matters. We can certainly stay connected through other means as well. Love, peace, comfort, and solidarity. (fb) ~ Also, if you “unfriend” me for reasons of disagreeing with me or just don’t want to really connect with me, I respect your decision and your person. (fb) ~ @BorowitzReport Prescriptions for ADHD have increased over the past six years. In other news, Twitter was founded six years ago. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport There are few things more gratifying in life than being attacked by someone who can’t spell. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Obama will find Romney harder to stop than bin Laden because at least with bin Laden he knew his exact position. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Dear people talking loudly into your cellphones: Please try to make your conversations more interesting to listen to. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport If we banned political ads, it would be interesting to see if billionaires who say they love America would spend their money on America. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport We took cigarette ads off TV because they were bad for our nation’s health. So why not do the same for political ads? (tw) ~ @historyweird 1899: The Imperial Palace makes public news of the Guangxu emperor’s impotence, his renal and urinary pains, and his eczema of the scrotum. (tw) ~ @historyweird 324BC: A sobbing Alexander the Great stays in bed with the corpse of his general & lover, Hephaistion, for two whole days and nights. (tw) ~ @historyweird c.70AD: To increase sexual appetite, Pliny suggests wearing the right testicle of an ass, tied to the wrist as a bracelet. (tw) ~ @historyweird 1326: London’s coroner finds that Richard le Rakiere died of drowning – after his latrine seat collapsed, dropping him into a full cesspit. (tw) ~ @historyweird 1140: William of Malmesbury claims that Henry I (who had several concubines & 24 bastard children) is “completely free of fleshly lusts”. (tw) ~ @historyweird 1936: Hitler is snapped hugging US Olympic runner Helen Stephens – and flies into a rage, beating up the photographer & smashing his camera. (tw) ~ @historyweird 1603: In Landes, 13yo Jean Grenier, confesses to being a werewolf, eating children and raping maidens. He is declared insane and locked up. (tw) ~ @historyweird c.79AD: Latin graffito from a walled lane at Pompeii: “Hic ego cum veni futui, deinde redei domi” (“I came here, had sex, then went home”). (tw) ~ @historyweird c.120: Pollux writes that at Athenian weddings, the best man guards the bedroom door – to stop the bride’s friends entering if she screams. (tw) ~ @historyweird 1788: British surgeon Worgan is very tempted by naked Australian women – but put off by the “excrementitious matter” coming from their noses (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport I am starting a petition to rename Michigan “Michvagina.” Please RT, this is important. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Give a man Twitter, and he will forget to eat and starve to death. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport It’s important to turn off our computers & do things in the real world, or we won’t have anything to tweet about. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport “I need to do extensive reading on this complex subject before I give an educated opinion.” — Web comment that has never been made (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport Only a billion more lies till the election. (tw) ~ You went down on Rachel in front me last night. Worst. Brother. Ever. (tln) ~ The ultimate Father’s Day bonding experience: Both getting bailed out of jail by mom for mooning some shithead cop. (tln) ~ I blacked in at 6:30am on the last stop on the train with a random fedora on? And I’m pretty sure I rode in a limo last night while eating pizza (tln) ~ Don’t ever give your dog some hamburger at midnight. Its impossible to enjoy a late night burger when your dog just threw it up all over your carpet. Gremlin rules work with dogs. (tln) ~ It summer and it’s getting a lot harder to hide sex bruises from my parents. (tln) ~ The van in front of me contains people having SEX. I am in full view of a SEX VAN. (tln) ~ Nothing like pulling a bottle of vodka out of your purse at 7am in the security line to make your fellow passengers uncomfortable… (tln) ~ Can I just say that you’re probably one of my favorite people to have sex with and then eat hummus with at 3:45am? (tln) ~ @BorowitzReport China will launch a manned space mission this summer, around the same time the US launches the 6th season of Jersey Shore (tw) ~ @borowitzreport: The NY Times print edition is a great way to test ur memory of what u read yesterday online. (tw) ~ @DailyCurmudgeon woman was arrested for making meth inside a Walmart, which has a strict policy against American-made products. (tw) ~ “@BorowitzReport: Saying you’ll unfollow someone on Twitter is a threat akin to turning down a free pizza flyer on the street.” (tw) ~ @chrisguillebeau Struggling to Fill #2 Post, Al-Qaeda Resorts to LinkedIn — http://aonc.co/LSaHvV (tw) ~ “Had Constantine chosen to embrace paganism when he moved to consolidate his power throughout the Roman sphere of influence, christianity would be nothing today.”—Unknown. (fb) ~ MEMBER QUOTE OF THE DAY: Post your own Atheist quote that is of “YOUR OWN INTELLECTUAL CREATION” in the comment section below. The member quote that gets the most likes by other members will have their quote posted tomorrow morning. RULES: 1. One quote per person. you can vote more than once. 2. No Plagiarized Material, plagiarized quotes will be deleted. 3. No Debating or personal opinions on this thread, quotes only 4. Use intelligence not profanity. 5. No campaigning for votes. (fb) ~ “Religion… It’s like a bunch of women fighting over who has the biggest penis.”–Ali Mangalji (fb) ~ @BorowitzReport: The American political system: where billions are spent to find candidates the voters hate. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport: Starbucks bought a baked goods chain to improve their food. Now they have to buy a coffee chain and they’re good to go. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport: The New York Times print edition is a great way to test your memory of what you read yesterday online. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport: I wonder if when the Chinese bought America they knew that it included Arizona. (tw) ~ @BorowitzReport: Sunday Thought: Rapture would be awesome if it meant all the people who believe in it would suddenly be gone. (tw) ~ This Week’s Member Quote of The Day Competition Winner: “Religion is the root of all evil, money just funds it.”–Samuel Kerby (fb) ~ Matt K. Lewis made a comment about cultural changes in the sixties. This seemed a bit odd, since Mr. Lewis would seem to be 35 at the absolute oldest. The murder of John Kennedy took place in 1963, at least 12 years before Mr. Lewis was born. Neither wikipedia, facebook, nor a blog biography listed a date of birth. Perhaps Mr. Lewis is a space alien. ~ For the sake of the writers’ ideas, ‘less is more’ is a proverb to be applied to candy and glue, not to aphorisms. —Catherine Lentini (Aph) ~ To rebel one must wear the right uniform. —Devan Marques (Aph) ~ Be your own definition. —Amanda Haggerty (Aph) ~ Secure your own mask before helping others. —Jan-Erik Asplund (Aph) ~ There’s no point criticizing the rules of a game you can’t change; you’ve just got to learn them and play them as best as you can. —Corey Ecay (Aph) ~ You can only understand the power of language once you have lost it. —Lauren Glading (Aph) ~ I just caught myself watching and Irish step dance documentary in my underwear drinking nyquil through a straw at 2 in the afternoon. today’s off to a good start. (tln) ~ Dude. Get me out of here. I’m surrounded by glitter-faced 40 year olds in halter tops. The desperation here is so thick you can taste it. (tln) ~ He set two of my ex boyfriends on fire at two different bars without anyone knowing it was him or how it happened either time. He might be a fucking super hero (tln) ~ you ate dog biscuits in front of my dogs and laughed at them for not have opposable thumbs (tln) ~ i was really disappointed no one would drink beer from our cleavage last night except for us (tln) ~ If 26 stitches didn’t sober her up, nothing will. (tln) ~ Apparently it is frowned upon to ask the bouncer to stop pointing his flashlight in your face and step back so you can puke….and then do it (tln) ~ at first i was on the bathroom floor cuz i was hungover. now im just here because it is cool (tln) ~ Sometimes a dumb thing is a thing worth saying. —Alan Dupont (Aph) ~ College is a place where the people who need it least are told things that the world needs to know. —Dylan Scott (Aph) ~ Visit a city to observe the behavior of animals. —Anna Eckert-Kramer (Aph) ~ First impressions are the last chance to impress. —Lila Cutter (Aph) ~and of course the ‘entire community is made up of charlatans, wishful thinkers, randroids, internet utopians, and outright hucksters wallowing in an orgy of scams and piss poor resource management desperately trying to convince more people to buy in and secure their positions in The New Zillionaires’ thing (fb) ~ Conservative, Liberal, and Libertarian are aligned with the bowel movement. chamblee54 ~ Well, the contest is over and I did not win dinner for two with President Obama, hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker at her home in New York. To be honest, I’m more disappointed about not meeting Sarah Jessica Parker than about not meeting President Obama. I was going to give the president the books “Occupy” by Noam Chomsky and “The Big Book of Christian Mysticism” by Carl McColman, then send him on his way so I could stay up all night drinking Cosmos with Sarah Jessica. I was going to wear my lavender dress shirt with my Scottish tartan necktie. It was going to be fabulous. (fb) ~ I maintain that the translations of Jesus saying love thy neighbor were incorrect. What he really said was to be kind to your neighbor. One is a thought, the other is an action. What you do is more important that what you think…. Unable to post comment. Try Again … maybe facebook doesn’t agree with me (fb) ~ @michaelbd Why won’t the Vatican recognize the life experiences of sincere Christians who happen to find great good in orgies? tw ~ Selah
Labelism
Chamblee54 had a post recently about conservatives and liberals. A lot of people see things in those terms. There are other pigeon holes that people get stuffed into. Not only politics, but religion, fashion, and sexual activity are classified, usually by someone who disapproves. Maybe the true religion of our culture is Labelism.
A trip to google city had lots of results. The top result (possibly paid for) is a company called Labelism. You can create personalized labels, usually for an alcohol product. “Welcome to Labelism. The personalised Wine, Whisky, Champagne and Beer gift service where you become the designer & create your own label.”
The always helpful Urban Dictionary calls labelism “The act of judging people by the labels of their clothes. Here are a few examples of labelism: 1(in Abercrombie): I’m so classy. 2 (in Hollister): Me, too. 3 (in American Eagle): Don’t forget me. 1: We all rock! 4 (in Aeropostale): Hey, I’m classy, too! 1: You wish, you wannabe! 2: Yeah, Loser! 5 (in Wal-Mart clothes): I’m pretty classy myself. 1: Eww Get away! You’re poor! 2,3, and 4: Gross! White Trash! Nasty! 5: Whatever, you label whores!”
Ablogspot facility called Quadrilateral Thoughts gets a bit closer to the original concept of this post. “labelism: The tendency to skew diverse particular ideas, events, people, and so forth by grouping them under overly generalized labels in the service of argument.” A few examples are given. “All these statements are logically fallacious, even though they are the stuff of common rhetoric. They take diverse realia and oversimplify them because the human mind has difficulty processing complexity.”
A playground called Young Americans for Liberty comes out as an Anti-Labelist. “If we refuse to be objective in this way, but rather use smear terms and labels, then it is no surprise that more anti-labelites are produced. We become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.”
Labelism dot org is another take. “Labelism- There Must Be For There To Be/Create Create/ Leaving Assupmtion To The Act/Support Support/ Do Good To Be Good/ Look Passed Word Act-RE-Reality=Option/True”
In 2008, MacKenzie Kern was bothered by people labelling each other. “For Stroudsburg Middle School seventh-grader MacKenzie Kern and others her age, words, particularly labels, can harm the emotionally vulnerable. Someone wearing black clothes and dressing in dark makeup is a “goth.” Someone wearing brand name clothes such as American Eagle or Aeropostale is a “prep.” Someone wearing bright, flamboyant colors is a “scene.” And then there are the “skaters,” who ride skateboards, the “jocks,” or athletes, the “nerds” and the “emos,” or emotionally troubled.”
“You’re stereotyping people just because they dress, act or look a certain way or listen to certain kinds of music,” says Kern, who has been called a “hippie” for wearing a T-shirt with a peace symbol. “People have labeled me and I’ve labeled others, which is something I’m not proud of.”
That’s why Kern has taken a stand against “labelism” and is trying to convince others her age to do the same. Every day since March 27, she has worn a white belt around her waist in school and out in public. From one end of that belt to the other are signatures, almost all of which have been put there by children ages 12 to 16 who support her stance. “I feel it’s important to focus mainly on kids in my age group,” she says. “If this generation of kids can set an example by stopping labelism, then maybe future generations can do the same. So far, I have only one signature from an adult, a teacher who told me she believes in what I’m doing and said she’s glad I’m doing it.”
At one point, Kern had 105 signatures on her belt. But for each person who agrees with ending labelism, there’s one or more who say Kern is wasting her time. “I’ve had both students and teachers tell me I’ll never really change anything because most people will go on labeling,” she says. “I’ve even had students who signed my belt tell me they want their signatures removed because they changed their minds. So, I scrubbed off five signatures, which took me back down to 100.” But that won’t stop Kern from trying to raise awareness among others her age.
This post was a good idea that turned out to be boring. The spell check suggestion for labelism is Isabella. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Luther C. McKinnon
Luther Campbell McKinnon Sr. was born February 22, 1916, on a farm in Rowland, North Carolina. Europe was stuck in a war that would change the world, and not until The United States got involved. This didn’t happen for another year.
Luke was the youngest of four children. After life as a farm boy, he went to Wake Forest University, and then came back when his Daddy died. He ran a family dairy for a few years, and went to live in New Jersey. He lived near a prison, and saw the lights in the neighborhood dim when the electric chair was used.
In the early fifties, he came to Atlanta to live. This was where his sister Sarah stayed, with her husband and two daughters. One day he went into the C&S bank on 10th street, and took notice of one of the tellers. On October 6, 1951, he married her. Jean Dunaway was his devoted wife for the rest of his life.
At some point in this era he started selling shoes. He would go to warehouses, gas stations, and wherever barefoot men needed shoes. He was “The Shoe Man” .
Before long there were two boys, and he bought a house, then another. The second house is the current residence of my brother and myself, and is probably worth 15 times what he paid for it. He had the good fortune to not buy in an area that was “blockbusted”, as many neighborhoods were.
And this was his life. He tended a garden, went to the gym, and was in the Lions Club for many years. When he met Mom, she let him know that going to church with her was part of the deal. They found a church that was good for their needs, and made many friends there. The Pastor at Briarcliff Baptist, Glen Waldrop, was his friend.
When I think of the character of this man, there is one night, which stands out. My brother was away at the time. The day before, Mom had discovered she had a detached retina, and was in the hospital awaiting surgery. Her job had arranged a “leaf tour” by train in North Georgia, and she got one of her friends at work to take me. There was some mechanical trouble on the train, and it did not get back into town until 3am Monday morning. And yet, Daddy stayed at home, did not panic, and had faith that all of us would be back soon, which we were.
Through all the struggles of his life, Dad was cheerful, laughed a lot, and was good company. He left me with a rich repertoire of country sayings, and had many stories to tell. He was surprising mellow about black people, if a bit old fashioned. (In the south when I grew up, this was highly unusual).
Dad was always in good, vigorous health, and I thought he would be with us for a long time. Well, that is not how things work. A cancer developed in his liver, and spread to his lungs (he did not smoke). After a mercifully brief illness, we lost him on February 7, 1992.
The Kinks
Dangerousminds brings the sad news that Pete Quaife, the original bass player for The Kinks , passed away yesterday. He was 66, and had been in dialysis for several years. Maybe it is time for Chamblee54 to do a post about The Kinks. (This was first posted in 2010.)
Battling brothers Ray and Dave Davies are the core of The Kinks. (The name is pronounced like the american Davis, as though the e did not exist). Ray was the vocalist, writer, and rhythm guitar player. Dave was the lead guitarist, and sparring partner for his brother. The fisticuffs were not restricted to the brothers. This led to the band being barred from performing in the United States between 1965 and 1969.
There were several hits in the early days, most notably “You really got me”. (This later became a signature tune for Van Halen). The band had numerous adventures, but never became the superstars that other British bands of that era did. Ray Davies developed as a songwriter, with many witty tunes, full of social commentary and britishness.(spell check suggestion:brutishness)
In the seventies The Kinks kept trooping on. They did an album called Preservation Act, which became the basis of a theatrical presentation. The next album was called Soap Opera, with a theater like production. This is where PG got to see The Kinks.
It was sometime in the spring of 1975, at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium. Elvin Bishop was the opening act. The Kinks had started when PG arrived, buying a $4.00 balcony seat. Alex Cooley was in the box office counting money, and broke open a roll of quarters to make change for a five.
The band was playing “Celluloid Heroes” when PG walked into the auditorium. There was no one on the door checking tickets, so PG walked onto the floor and found an empty seat on the 13th row. The next number was “Lola”.
Ray Davies introduced the song by saying ” If you are a man, sing LO. If you are a woman, sing LA. If you are not sure, clap your hands”. The next number was about demon alcohol. There were lights shining on the crowd during this number, as Ray Davies asked if there were any sinners in the audience. The band did several more songs, ending the first half of the evening with “You really got me”. Dave Davies got some spotlight time with a rave up intro to this number.
The second part of the show was a theatrical presentation of “Soap Opera”. The band wore rainbow colored wigs, and stood at the back of the stage while Ray Davies told the tale. “Soap Opera” was about a rock star who traded places with Norman, who lived a boring life. The flat Norman lived in has pictures of ducks on the wall, which drove Ray/Norman to scream “I can’t stand those f*****g ducks”. This led into a rocking ditty called, predictably, “Ducks on the Wall”.
As the show dragged on, Ray/Norman was embarrassed by the mess he was in. “You can’t say that in front of The Kinks, they are my band, and that is my audience.” The audience lights were turned on again, and the band played a medley of hits from 1964.
Finally, the real Norman came back to reclaim his wife, put the ducks back on the wall, and kick out The Kinks. The band gave up on theater before much longer, and were popular for the rest of the concert happy seventies. Ray Davies was the babydaddy for Chrissie Hynde . Eventually, the band quit performing, and continued to cash royalty checks.
Pictures are from the ” Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
35 Broad Street
PG was having a delightfully slack afternoon, The one productive activity was editing pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. In box seventy two of “corporate bodies”, in the Lane Brothers archive, there was a picture commissioned by King Road Marker Company. It displayed a brand new crosswalk, over Marietta Street at the intersection of Broad Street. The picture was taken at 1:51 p.m. September 27, 1954.
The time caught PG’s eye. 1:51 is one of the times used to display clocks and watches in advertising. Most ads use 10:09. This arrangement of the hour and minute hands makes a welcoming gesture. This allows the logo of the watch to be visible, and is thought to encourage the viewer to purchase the timepiece. The shadows on the buildings indicate that the picture was shot in early afternoon.
The clock with the magic time advertised the C&S national bank. The building behind the clock was the headquarters of that bank. In 1954, Citizens and Southern bank was a prime player in the Atlanta market. (PG’s dad said that C&S stood for choke’m and squeez’m.) At some point, C&S merged with NCNB to become Nationsbank, which was later absorbed by Bank Of America.
C&S kept it’s headquarters at 35 Broad Street for many years after competitors built trophy buildings. Their were constant rumors about where the C&S highrise was going to go. Finally, C&S Plaza was built at Peachtree and North Avenue, a mile north of five points. The building was to become the tallest building in America outside of New York and Chicago. During the construction of this building, C&S became part of Nationsbank.
The picture is featured in Atlanta Time Machine. The building is now owned by Georgia State University, with a BOA branch on the first floor. The banking hall is spectacular. It was designed by Philip Shutze, before the great depression. Here is more information.
Nations Bank Building (Citizens and Southern National Bank Building, Empire Building)
35 Broad Street, NW 1901: Bruce and Morgan, Architects, NR.
Remodeling of Lower Floors and Interiors 1929:
Hentz, Adler and Shutze, Architects; Philip Shutze, Designer
Fourteen stories high, the Nations Bank Building was the first steel-frame structure to be built in Atlanta. Its clear-cut silhouette, simple fenestration, and heavily decorated terra-cotta top bear the influence of the Chicago School. In 1929 the building became the headquarters of the Citizens and Southern National Bank, which asked Philip Shutze to redesign its three lower floors. Because the impression of load-bearing masonry was regarded as better suited for a banking establishment than large glass panes were, the original display windows were replaces by classical motifs apparently “carved out” of Indiana limestone.
Philip Shutze was inspired by Italian Mannerism, and especially by the city gates of Verona by Michele Sanmichelo (1484-1559) … Reached from Marietta and Walton streets through lofty arcaded entryways and a more intimate elevator lobby in the early Renaissance style on Broad Street, the banking hall is a long nave articulated by colossal Corinthian pilasters. While its walls and floors feature several kinds of Georgia, Tennessee, and European marbles in a warm gold-brown color scheme, the ceiling, from which hang gigantic chandeliers, is left bare. The Pantheon, which Shutze had measured during his internship at the American Academy in Rome, served as direct source for the pedimented niches, and for the floors with alternate square and circular patterns. Also, of Roman inspiration are the bronze desks and the eagle motif found throughout the design.
Hashtag Bash
There is a twitter fight going on. On one side is #LiberalismIn4Words, with the predictable alternative #ConservatismIn4Words. Momma’s basement is buzzing with activity.
PG has always maintained that Liberal and Conservative are meaningless words, designed to start pointless arguments. @MacGhil The Ruling Class’ divide & conquer strategy: We attack each other, & they amass power & wealth. #ConservatismIn4words #LiberalismIn4Words.
There seem to be a lot of notions about the “other side”, which may or may not be true. The possibility exists that the tweets say more about the sender than they do their opponent. @loghaD #LiberalismIn4Words Yet another meaningless label. #ConservatismIn4Words Yeah, that one too.
@SooperMexican ***Analytical Evidence Conservatives won hashtag battles #Liberalismin4words and #conservatismin4words: Stupid Liberals Call For Political Hashtag War, Conservatives Destroy Them. Mr. Mexican throws a bunch of statistics out, and makes the claim that conservatives won this battle. There is a difference between prove and indicate.
In preparing this report, PG copied lists of “top tweets” for both hashtags. He sorted the tweets into four groups. This is just one person’s view. The only thing that it proves is that PG has too much free time. We already knew that.
The first category is abortion. Evidently, conservatives think liberals get off on murdering babies. Liberals are snickering about how politicians are taking advantage of well meaning conservatives. The truth is that abortion is a free lunch issue. You denounce it to your hearts content, and no one pays atttention to your ethical shortcomings.
@SueLantto: every person has value #truth #LiberalismIn4Words
@JackTomczak Except a baby girl @kentkaiser Or a Down’s baby.
@ballergirl34 #LiberalismIn4Words We care about children.
#ConservatismIn4Words Only before they’re born.
@CnservativePunk Kill babies. Free criminals. #Liberalismin4words
@Paul_Conrad Pro-life until it’s born #conservatismin4words
@RaisingOneBrow #ConservatismIn4Words Your body, our business.
The second category is things that make you say huh. A.K.A. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Some arguments bend logic into funny shapes. Both sides play this game.
@L_Wheels #ConservatismIn4Words Attack America? You die.
#LiberalismIn4Words Attack America? My apologies.
@keder Conservative women: way hotter. #ConservatismIn4Words
@MrKips #ConservatismIn4Words Let’s Twitterflog The Liberals
@keilemon Please vote “caste system.” #ConservatismIn4Words
@TechBrigade #ConservatismIn4Words – Man walked with dinosaurs
@JustenCharters Taxes Mean Free Stuff. #LiberalismIn4Words
@theGrudgeRetort Greece got it right. #LiberalismIn4Words
@theGrudgeRetort Math is hard, ya’ll. #LiberalismIn4Words
@LittleSlav #LiberalismIn4Words I don’t need 4. One word is sufficient: unamerican
@VAKruta Tolerance, except for Christians. #LiberalismIn4Words
@ExJon #LiberalismIn4Words Racisty, Racist Racist! RAAAAAAAAAAACIST!
@jorticulture #LiberalismIn4Words concede positions then bargain, ahahaha yep america
The third category is things that apply to both liberals and conservatives. In these tweets, replace the hastag with a blank space. It is tough to tell who is talking about who. This considers the actions of these partisans, and not just the rheroric.
@joachim #LiberalismIn4Words Your Reckless Spending Addiction
@NonLiberalVTer I deserve your money. #LiberalismIn4Words
@brendlewhat #LiberalismIn4Words meanwhile, your skeleton waits
@spaceship_earth #LiberalismIn4Words important to win argument
@RepubGirlProbz #LiberalismIn4Words They don’t use logic
@EricBandazewski #LiberalismIn4Words It Works In Theory
#ConservatismIn4Words It Works In Reality
@RepubGirlProbz #LiberalismIn4Words Biggest idiots in America
@DLoesch You all are racists. #LiberalismIn4Words
@SenMikeLee Constitutional? Are you serious? #liberalismin4words
@IMAO_ Make every city Detroit. #LiberalismIn4Words
@derekahunter Facts do not matter #LiberalismIn4Words
@Tomm_Dogg #LiberalismIn4Words Tweet whatever you want.
@KristinaRibali The world owes me #Liberalismin4Words
@KristinaRibali I am a victim #liberalismin4words
@bob_owens Die once. Vote forever. #LiberalismIn4Words
@SooperMexican Let’s Outlaw All Consequences! #LiberalismIn4Words
@lheal Tax, Borrow, Print, Spend. #LiberalismIn4Words
@JustenCharters Life Is Not Fair. #LiberalismIn4Words
@JustenCharters Lacks perspective. Shuns reality. #LiberalismIn4Words
@thatalexyarde Crappy days here again #ConservatismIn4Words
@patticar #ConservatismIn4Words Harvest Everything Forget Tomorrow
@word_34 #ConservatismIn4Words Never Actually Read Constitution
@ballergirl34 #LiberalismIn4Words Where in the Constitution?
#ConservatismIn4Words I’m sorry, the what?
@JenGranholm #ConservatismIn4Words: Let Detroit Go Bankrupt
#ConservatismIn4Words Americans have short memories
@La_Shawn It’s not my fault! #LiberalismIn4Words
@Im_bonafide #LiberalismIn4Words .. Let Me Be Clear…
@Ennui_Raver #liberalismin4words Yard work oh boy
@ThatGuySpike #LiberalismIn4Words: Full understanding of issues.
#ConservatismIn4Words: Off on a tangent.
@KRBCanada1 #conservatismin4words Demonize Instead Of Analyze
@malclave Living in THIS reality. #ConservatismIn4Words
Last are the winners in this contest. All of these tweeters get a free subscription to chamblee54.
@DavidAllenGreen Libertarianism for grown ups. #LiberalismIn4Words
@MlTTR0MNEY #LiberalismIn4Words Romney Ten Years Ago
@pari_passu RT @DrMaldoror: #ConservatismIn4Words Riding God’s Short Bus
@StevenDumas #ConservatismIn4Words No more Barack Kardashian.
@MlTTR0MNEY Help a Millionaire Out #ConservatismIn4Words
@ColdCauphee #ConservatismIn4Words Falsify War Get Rich
@Fireflysghost Organize Hegemony for Jesus #ConservatismIn4Words
@elbrigaciagar #Conservatismin4words Jesus loves Ayn Rand.
@word_34 #ConservatismIn4Words Never Actually Read Constitution
@elbrigaciagar Never read Bible either.
@purplehullpea #ConservatismIn4Words Wishes Mitt was likable
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
War President
To this day, there is confusion about why the United States fought a war in Vietnam. There is talk about communism. There was a dominoes theory. (The delivery took more than thirty minutes.) The one which aroused PG’s curiosity was the urge to “nail that coonskin to the wall.”
According to the History News Network , President Lyndon B. Johnson made three trips to Vietnam. “In 1961 Johnson, then vice president, visited Saigon. He assured the South Vietnamese the United States would stand by them … LBJ called South Vietnamese leader Diem the “Churchill of Asia.”
On October 26, 1966 Johnson visited Vietnam on his first trip as president. The week before anti-war protests had been held in 40 cities in the United States. At the end of December 1967 LBJ worked in another trip to Vietnam while traveling to Australia for the funeral of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who had died in a drowning accident. Visiting Cam Ranh Bay, LBJ urged the soldiers to”nail that coonskin to the wall.”
While researching this post, PG found a feature comparing BHO in Afghanistan to LBJ in Vietnam. (Lebron James is not taking his talents to Hanoi.) The story is that LBJ had serious doubts about whether we could win in Vietnam, but did not want to appear weak. (He may also have been influenced by the fate of JFK, who had started to withdraw troops from Vietnam.) There is a pungent paragraph: “In this narrative, Johnson sent up to 1,000 Americans a month to their deaths because he didn’t “want the political fallout that would come from not fighting” Vietnam. Others have argued that, contrary to Blankney’s assertion, LBJ really wanted “to nail that coonskin to the wall” in Southeast Asia; that he fought it from strategic principle not political expediency. But many will concede that whether LBJ wanted to win it or not, he fought it with one eye to the public relations polls and the reactions of his own left wing. He imposed so many restrictions, introduced so many rules that perhaps whether LBJ ‘wanted to win’ or not, his objective strategic behavior was in the end indistinguishable from someone who wanted to lose. And he lost.”
Many of the soldiers in Vietnam were drafted. This means that the government told you that you were going into the service, or going to jail. (Young readers might be unfamiliar with the concept. When you ask your elders about communism, you can ask them about Selective Service.) While the government was dithering in it’s approach to the war, the men who were sent to fight were ordered to make a total commitment. Many did not come home alive.
Another online feature about Obama’s challenging war options shows up a difference in attitudes about war today. “Publicly, Johnson said it was a war we had to fight and that we would win it. Now, of course, we know that he believed we couldn’t win even before he sent the first of those 57,992 American boys over there to die.”
Whether you agree or disagree with a war, it is preposterous to say that the soldiers are boys. If anyone deserves to be called a man, it is those troops. Today, we have more women in our armed forces than we did in Vietnam. (This page of statistics lists, by name, eight American service women who died in Vietnam.) It simply isn’t said, of this war, that the soldiers are our boys and girls. While the dirty business of war goes on, it is an improvement to not call our soldiers boys.
At the seven minute mark of his speech on Afghanistan , BHO starts a paragraph with the phrase “my fellow americans”. Those of a certain age will remember another democratic warpotus, Lyndon Johnson, who was fond of saying MFA. Whatever rude things were said about lightbulb Lyndon, no one ever asked to see his birth certificate. Perhaps that is what BHO meant by that phrase.
The paragraph that BHO starts with this bit of sixties nostalgia ( four year old Barry probably did not see the SOU message linked above) caught PG’s eye when reading the transcript . “My fellow Americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. We have learned anew the profound cost of war — a cost that has been paid by the nearly 4,500 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have done so in Afghanistan — men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that they defended.”
Are you sure, Barry? Over a million Iraqis live in exile in Syria as we speak. They may have jumped out of the frying pan, and into the fire. The reason they left was to escape the civil war that our “liberation” of Babylon set off. They have paid a price for our “mission accomplished”.
Are you sure Sean Hannity? Every day, you say to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. ( At least you were the last time PG was brave enough to listen to your show.) Historically, the profound cost of war has been paid, at least partially, by higher taxes. In world war two, people sold war bonds, and encouraged each other to invest in the defeat of the Nazis. In this war, the right wing wants to pay for it by lowering taxes. The result is a national debt that is going to burden our economy for decades.
Getting back to the message by BHO (It was made in an empty hall, with gilt edged chairs replacing the Seal of the Presidency. Not to worry, BHO was wearing a flag pin on his lapel.) … there was another Vietnam flashback at 7:53. “And even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance.” Is this light at the end of a tunnel?
At 8:58 comes this gem:“When innocents are being slaughtered and global security endangered, we don’t have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our own.” Since BHO has taken over as warpotus, the drone strikes over the third world have dramatically increased. This is air slaughter, against a helpless population, directed by remote control from a cave in Nevada. Many of the people killed in these raids are women and children, who are not members of Al Qaeda. (To be fair, some of the children would have been terrorists if they had been able to grow up.) We don’t have to choose, because the decision was made by warpotus BHO…we will use our high tech weapons to KILL, KILL, KILL.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a double repost
City Of Brookhaven
There is a proposal to create a city of Brookhaven. On July 31, the matter will go before the voters. The proposed city is between Atlanta, Chamblee, I 285, and I 85.
There has been a fad for creating new cities in the North metro area. North Fulton has been divided between John’s Creek, Milton, and Sandy Springs. DeKalb county has the proposed Brookhaven, and Dunwoody. Brookhaven is the first of the new cities to be completely located inside I 285 (ITP).
PG has gotten mailings from those who say yes, and from those who say no. Neither mailer was printed at a Union shop. Both sides quote a feasibility study from the Carl Vinson Institute.
According to the yes website, “The 5 services the city will take over from DeKalb are : Police, Parks, Roads, Zoning and Code Enforcement. Fire, Water and Sewer, Sanitation, Schools etc., will remain with DeKalb county”.
According to Wikipedia, the new city would have 40, 456 people. The racial breakdown is 61.52% White, Hispanic 27.41%, 17.56% Black, and 4.88% Asian. The numbers for the registered voters are probably different, with many of the Hispanic people transient. DeKalb county is 54.3% Black, and county politics are dominated by the Black community.
The yes mailer has racial undertones. It has a picture of Dekalb CEO Burrell Ellis, who is African American. The headline read “What’s CEO Burrell Ellis doing with Your Tax Dollars? There is a quote from an “Email from lobbyist to DeKalb County”, with a line about fighting the proposed new city.
PG attended a meet and greet with Mr. Ellis recently, and the subject of the new city came up. Mr. Ellis thinks the finances of the new city would be precarious. The figures used in the feasibility study are from real estate values that have been declining. The new city will not have a much money as many think it will. This point is made by the no crowd. Mr. Ellis said that he thinks people are wanting a new city for the wrong reasons.
The issue of the new city having enough money to operate is key. The no people say it won’t, the yes people say it will. Brookhaven has more poverty than the other new cities, and less commercial areas. There are height restrictions in much of the area, because of Peachtree DeKalb Airport.
An important issue is taxes. The yes crowd say they will be lower. The no crowd says they will be higher. The millage rate will be set at 3.35, and an increase would require voter approval.
Franchise fees will be a factor in the money. According to the no website, “Franchise Fees are the taxes charged to utility companies for the use of the public right of way for utility poles, pipes, and cabling. We already pay 1.2% on our GA Power bill now, but do not on landline phone bills. Incorporated cities such as what Brookhaven could possibly become, are allowed to charge the utility companies higher percentages than counties. As a result the utility companies pass that extra charge along to the consumer. Georgia Power and landline phone bills will be where we see the increases.”
Another big issue is police. The yes people say “DeKalb county assigns 3 to 6 patrol officers to the entire area of Brookhaven. The city of Brookhaven will increase this number to a minimum fo 8 to 9 officers at all times.” The no people say that the new city should have 83 police officers, and that the budget calls for 53.
Chamblee54, despite the name, is west of Chamblee, and is part of the proposed new city. There have been features about Brookhaven recently, including vintage pictures. The election on the new city will be July 31. All affected voters are encouraged to study the issues, and make your opinion known. The spell check suggestion for Brookhaven is Brokenhearted. Pictures today are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
Desktop Cleanup
There are a few documents cluttering the desktop at chamblee54. One way to deal with this is to combine a few into one post. Most of these, one way or another, are connected to religion, or the processed G-dproduct we have in our culture. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
Three years ago, PG recycled a chain mail message about G-d. If you must read it, go here. The essence is this quote:”Isn’t it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord,people think twice about sharing?~Isn’t it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them ~Isn’t it funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what G-d thinks of me”
Last week, this was on facebook: “When someone like Madonna or the Scissor sisters come out with a new Album or goes on tour everyone rushes to buy tickets and buy the album. When a healer learns some new way of helping someone heal…well, the healer doesn’t get a rush of clients in. We put more emphasis on entertainment and frivolity than we do for actual health. I guess we have all been brainwashed into thinking that external garbage is more important than our health.”
chamblee54 I got a religious chain mail message once. There was a comment…”Isn’t it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord,people think twice about sharing?”. This sounds a lot like the message here…that people will pay big bucks to enjoy Madonna and the Scissor Sisters (who?), but will not pay the same money for healing. I am sympathetic to what Michael is doing. I think healing outside of industrial medicine can be of great value. However, when you toss out a nonsense argument, in support of marketing this healing, then I lose a bit of that sympathy. The message is great. It is the medium that angers me.
Peach Pundit had a feature about Georgia Republicans honoring Karen Handel for, um, making noise about abortion. This is a great topic for people with more spare time than common sense. The comment section was fun.
chamblee54 May 29, 2012 at 2:04 pm How many “pro life” people support wars?
Lawton Sack May 29, 2012 at 2:09 pm How many “pro-choice” people don’t support wars because people die?
TheEiger May 29, 2012 at 2:45 pm Charlie – isn’t chamblee54 posts SPAM? If I had a junk box for PP all of chamblee54 postings would go there right next to the folks that have a million dollars in a British bank account and all they need is you account number to transfer it to you.
Rick Day May 29, 2012 at 6:13 pm This is actually going to be pretty cool. When the Atlanta City Council wrote legislation to tighten illegal alcohol consumption on unlicensed premises, it technically made all tail gating illegal. Be careful what you wish for, Oh Godly Engineers of Morality.
The Last Democrat in Georgia May 29, 2012 at 7:18 pm Pro-life social conservatives want to ban abortion. Republicans do NOT want to ban abortion. Republicans want to keep abortion legal so that they keep it around as an ongoing campaign issue, a deep political well that they can always turn to in times of political need, especially in election years, not-to-mention create some work opportunities for their cronies in the legal field. Hence the reason why the Georgia Legislature passed an anti-abortion bill that seems an open invitation for legal challenges.
The Last Democrat in Georgia May 29, 2012 at 7:27 pm The Georgia Legislature’s official response to concerns about ethics (or their noticeable lack of): LOOK! Over there! ABORTION!!!! ….Now can you possibly imagine how hard that would have been to pull off if abortion had already been banned? I can’t even imagine as the actual thought is completely horrifying.
chamblee54 May 29, 2012 at 10:23 pm My posts AREN’T spam. I don’t like to eat it either. I do enjoy this vision of spam. The “life issues” have many shades of gray. Probably more than fifty, but without the controversy. Here is one of the times I have written about it. As for Karen Handel, isn’t it time for her fifteen minutes to be over? Anybody who can get Sarah Palin to make an appearance for her, and lost to a notoriously corrupt congressman, does not need to be in politics.
seenbetrdayz May 30, 2012 at 10:22 am Truth to your comments. If the abortion debate was ever settled once-and-for all, the GOP would lose a giant issue it keeps using as a carrot to dangle over the heads of its Christian base to gain votes every election. It’s like a form job security for the GOP, so it’s in the GOP’s best interest to make sure that they don’t pursue the issue too vigorously. I’m surprised that the christian right hasn’t realized it’s being used yet.
Jesus worship blogger Phil Johnson announced his retirement from blogging today. His doctor ordered him to remove stress from his life. Telling people how to get into heaven might be troubling his soul.
PG and Mr. Johnson have butted heads a few times. PG seemed to enjoy it, while Mr. Johnson got dirty. Wrestling with a hog will do that. After a while, PG was banned from commenting, and might be better off for it.
One curious exchange involved gambling. Discomfort with gaming for money is one part of Baptistry that PG carries with him. Mr. Johnson wrote a post about gambling. (The post is no longer available. The comments are here..) PG wrote to express support, and still got in trouble.
chamblee54 I was going to post this to the original site, but that site requires a registration. This is regarding the series on gambling. Thank you for your commentary. An aversion to gambling is one part of my baptist upbringing that I have held onto. I look forward to reading the particulars of your moral objection to gaming. While I sense that gambling is wrong, I know few arguments that this is the case. Also, gambling is becoming more and more fashionable and acceptable. The gaming industry has a powerful p.r. machine, and they are good at confusing people.I also look forward to the guest commentary by Bill Bennett. One sentence in your initial post caught my attention…”In other words, one person’s gain always comes at the price of hurt caused to others.” This reminded me of a situation at a job I used to have. I was working closely with an abusive jesus worshiper, who simply would not shut up. While his “faith” may have grown, I became bitterly alienated from jesus. My pain paid the price for his jesus party.
chamblee54 I enjoyed the second post of the gambling series. It is interesting to see the 10th commandment cited. The admonition against coveting is one of the less popular commandments, especially by the proponents of “prosperity doctrine”. And why would anyone want to post the 10th commandment at a courthouse where they collect taxes and hear lawsuits? I also appreciate your use of non-bible based arguments. Not everyone agrees that the bible is the word of god. Those who disagree with you on this point still need some direction, especially on an issue like gambling, with the well financed p.r. machines of the casinos making so much noise.
Phil Johnson Thanks, Chamblee54. For the record, though, logical arguments showing how biblical principles apply to ethical and moral questions are not “non-bible based arguments.” The subject ultimately matters to me only because I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and I’m accountable to its Author. If I didn’t believe that, I’d be in the same boat as the hordes of self-destructive teenagers who simply want to have as much fun as possible while they can enjoy it, and beyond that, their goal is to end this life ASAP. Without any belief that God is sovereign and his Word is true, I wonder what you’d tell one of your own kids if he or she had that perspective? I can’t see how you could possibly come up with any rational argument against such a suicidal worldview.
chamblee54 “The subject ultimately matters to me only because I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and I’m accountable to its Author. If I didn’t believe that, I’d be in the same boat as the hordes of self-destructive teenagers who simply want to have as much fun as possible while they can enjoy it, and beyond that, their goal is to end this life ASAP. Without any belief that God is sovereign and his Word is true, I wonder what you’d tell one of your own kids if he or she had that perspective? I can’t see how you could possibly come up with any rational argument against such a suicidal worldview.” How do we get from gambling to self-destructive teenagers? And are these the only two choices? To believe in “god in a book” (in violation of the first commandment) or a life of total depravity? I would hope there is another path, because neither of those work for me.
Two current local stories are the retirement of Neal Boortz, and the parental issues of Creflo Dollar. Many talkers and typers will discuss this, and they are welcome to it. Both subjects are toxic. Slightly more uplifting is Death In The Time Of Facebook.
That is a story at Thought Catalog. TC is another good use of spare time. The current offerings on the home page include 6 Things 20-Somethings Want, What Game Of Thrones Characters Would Tweet, If They Had Twitter, 4 Grooming Habits That Men Are Not Exempt From (by Chelsea Fagan), Pretending You’re Oppressed: The New Internet Fad, and An Open Letter Of Apology From The State Of Florida. (The Sunshine state is the leading content contributor to Hot and Busted.)
Getting back to the matter at hand, the sort of boss at Thought Catalog is Ryan O’Connell. He is a 25 yo gay man, who wrote Death In The Time Of Facebook. “I believe that, in many ways, Facebook has changed the way we grieve. I’ve never had anyone close to me pass away before but I’m not sure how I would feel about posting memories of the two of us on their Facebook wall.”
Chamblee54 ” I’ve never had anyone close to me pass away before” This is a 25yo gay man speaking. If this had been written twenty years ago, he would have known dozens. The bug drugs are a miracle.
alisonwisneski Woah. Out of line.
scsh I don’t know if this is a social justice issue. Twenty years ago, yeah, that was a thing, and it was huge. It totally really happened, and I don’t think this comment was offered as a slur but a history. An ugly one.
Anonymous why are u bringing up aids tho
scsh I’m mostly blown that a 25 year old anyone hasn’t. It’s a game changer. You are never the same.
Cita And if it had been forty years ago, I doubt any 25 year old would be able to say the same. Wars happen, technology advances, life expectancy increases. It’s not that complicated, and it certainly has nothing to do with being gay.
______ Telling _____ What Is Racist
Womanist Musings recently republished the internet classic 10 Conversations On Racism I’m Sick Of Having With White People. PG turned off his BS detector, and read. In addition to the ten convos of the title, there are five chats that the author would like to have. Apparently, the author likes to talk. Listening might be something else.
PG learned a long time ago that conversations about race are dangerous. If you say the wrong thing, you might wind up in the hospital. It is much easier to hold your piece, and live another day. The bottom line is, PG cannot remember ever discussing any of these matters, especially with a person of color (POC). He decided to leave a comment, and the fun started.
chamblee54 I am a person of non color. I have never had any of these fifteen conversations.
womanistmusings Do you want a cookie?
RVCBard Here’s a cookie you can make at home!
Siah WTF is a person of non-color? Transparent are ya?
miga Perhaps why ze’s never had that conversation before? No one notices hir?
PG felt it was important to make his ethnicity known. The image illustrating the comment has a brown paper bag over a head. You cannot tell if it is a white person (WP), or POC. When talking about race, this is an important distinction.
Person of non-color might be a silly label. But then, what about POC? It is a mystery why “colored people” is offensive, but POC is PC. The skin on PG’s neck might be red, but red is a color.
And so it goes. People love to talk about race in America. The problem is finding someone who will listen. Before ending the text, and moving on to the pictures (courtesy of The Library of Congress), we are going to share something from facebook. This message has been edited. WP and POC have been replaced by blank spaces.
This is what I have seen a lot of recently: _____ telling _____ what is racist and what is not. Trust me, _____ of the world, _____ have been thinking about this for a LONG time, and it would be a good idea to LISTEN to what they say — I think that, most of the time, they’re probably right and you’re probably wrong about racism.
Maybe even do some reading and research, so the _____ don’t bear the burden of actively taking the time to educate you about racism in only face-to-face interactions and only when they’re calling you out for saying or doing something racist.
Can we just start with the assumption that you, _______ , are racist? That your actions, most likely, perpetuate or benefit from racism? Maybe that’s not true — I’m sure you’re a good person, but maybe you’re also racist. I don’t want you to feel guilty about it, but just live with it for a little bit as if it were true. Accept, for a moment, that, unless you are actively engaged in something that is ANTI-racist, you’re being racist. Now there’s nowhere to go but up! Now you can feel EXCELLENT about every anti-racist thing you do!
And you’ve been doing a lot of those anti-racist things recently, right?
Kill Them All
The BHO war machine combines modern murder technology with low tech sophistry. Anyone within splatter range of a hellfire missile is assumed to be a terrorist. The problem of civilian casualties has been solved … they are all militants.
Unqualified Offerings has a feature on this subject. The source is Glenn Greenwald, tossing out ten thousand words as casually as Sarah Palin says lamestream media. There is a comment quoted. (It might be noted that the comment below was an “Update” to the original post. No one is his right mind has read all 481 comments to the post.)
“Isn’t the presumption that everyone in the so-called strike zone is a “militant” particularly egregious given past accusations that our enemies intentionally embed themselves in civilian populations? Haven’t we condemned our enemies in the past precisely because they’ve surrounded themselves with civilians? And now we’re justifying our crowd-killing strikes on the grounds that anyone close to a militant must himself be a militant?”
The old argument went that the other side used “human shields”. The armies were embedded in civilian populations, so that any attack would cause what was once called collateral damage. What was never mentioned was the fact that it was our forces that did the killing. If it were white Americans, much more care would be taken. This line of reasoning is now obsolete.
There was a fun comment at Unqualified Offerings. The text is courtesy of Gene Dannen. It is from a speech made by Harry Truman, on July 9, 1945. When this speech was given, Nagasaki had been destroyed.
“The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians. But that attack is only a warning of things to come. If Japan does not surrender, bombs will have to be dropped on her war industries and, unfortunately, thousands of civilian lives will be lost. I urge Japanese civilians to leave industrial cities immediately, and save themselves from destruction.”.
Group punishment is not restricted to war. In Mustang OK, a business owner led his employees in prayer, and then announced that 25 production people would be fired. The reason for the bloodbath: someone sent an email that the boss did not like. HT the fishwrapper. The speech is embedded above. Do not listen if you are in a good mood. This speech will ruin your day. Here is the email.
Ryan Tate , In 2009, Tate Publishing LLC was named one of the best places to work in the state of Oklahoma. In a post published on your blog in April 2, 2009, you say ”most publishers outsource and farm out their work because it is cheaper” and went on to say “we handle every element of production in house” and also “if you want to lead an industry and succeed you need to make the extra investment in the staff”. Three short years later, you have opened an office in the Philippines to do just that – outsource and farm out the work that has been done by loyal, hard-working Oklahoma employees. What has changed in that time that has caused you to come to the conclusion that “a staff that never quits” as you referred to them, are no longer worth the investment?”
Pictures, from the War Between the States, are from The Library of Congress.
Fubu Academy
PG decided, at next to the last minute, to hang out with friends, and see a trash movie. The flick was Voodoo Academy. It is decorated with shots of pretty bois writhing in designer underwear.
A young man is led into upstairs. Some wine is poured on him, by a man wearing a clerical collar. The boi wiggles with emotion, lights start to flash on his chest, and his shrunken head is grafted onto a voodoo doll. The other students are told that he has been expelled.
The action takes place at Carmichael Bible College. There are six students, all impossibly gorgeous. The Carmicheal dude ain’t bad either. Headmadame Mrs. Bouvier wears Frederick”s of Hollywood drag. (Mrs. is her first name.) There are dozens of candles, which are always lit and never burn down.
Whoever is responsible for this nonsense is probably a veteran of the Roman Church. That institution has a ceremony of ritual cannibalism, where wine stands in for the blood of Jboi. At Carmichael Bible College, this wine is poured on the body of a wayward student. Bad things happen.
The next morning, PG was listening to a discussion with T. M. Luhrmann. She was flogging a new book, When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. There was an incident, where a person had a mystical experience, realizing that Jesus loves them. This made PG remember the afternoon when he learned that Jesus hates him. Religious imagery is very powerful, even wearing designer underwear.
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