Don't get me wrong. I'm a sports fan and all, but when I saw today's headline about the dream team my thoughts went to OJ Simpson's lawyers. They were also called the dream team just must shorter.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s happening in the US. I’ve also been reading a lot about the stoics and stoicism. In those readings, there is a lot of discussion about the nature of humans, the ups and down of not just politics, but also of an individual in life.
Has anyone had a life that hasn’t had times of an emotional roller coaster? Where others drag you into something you don’t want to do? When you make a colossal error and are paying for it later? I remember thinking Nixon was such a great President....until the Watergate hearings. Then I was devastated and had to change my whole paradigm on politics. What’s happening now is the same pendulum swing.
Remember what Monte Python said “No one expected the Spanish Inquisition!”
Owing to his widespread use of torture to extract confessions, and advocacy of burning at the stake those deemed guilty, Torquemada's name has become synonymous with cruelty, religious intolerance and fanaticism.
You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait."? Parfaits are delicious!
Huff Post is far, far left and National Review is far, far right as I am sure was your point. Makes me think of FB which is far, far, far towards whatever you want it to be.
In 1980 when the first US dream team won (I watched the last three games they played…wow) there were (still) legitimate news papers and three TV networks with news. That’s it. And sure, newspapers have always leaned one way or the other but they did typically have a real editor and fact-checked with multiple sources before printing. They might have slanted the news but did not completely rewrite the news. Moreover, they had a distinct editorial section and it was obvious which of the few were more sensationalistic. The WSJ was actually a financial newspaper with only two sections that maintained the format until they decided to compete with USA Today in the 90s.
Everything changed on June 1, 1980 when CNN took to the airwaves with 24 hours a day to fill. CNN was fun with the Headline News repeating every 30 minutes. It was also one thing you could watch when in a foreign country (you only had the WSJ and the International Herald Tribune for news when outside the US) that closed its doors in 2013.
High school,students desperately need a civics class on how to recognize legitimate new but sadly that will never happen in today’s divided America.
I sure hope it stays that way. I keep reading too much news lately about school boards comprised of people who do not (and never have had) children in the school system for which they are a board member. And all the book banning (symbolic burnings).
Public school should expand student’s thinking rather than “groom” students to their thinking as so many politicians have accused teachers of doing. The primary goal of public education should be to teach students critical thinking - unless they simply don’t want them to think.
I hear what boy are saying and agree there are more teachers that not who agree. Unfortunately, school boards and districts/states direct curriculum. Depending on the politics they can severely restrict educational opportunities both in and out of the classroom. To wit, look at the constant book banning and rhetoric over “CRT.”
And it’s not just what they are able to teach in the classroom. Just look at the Texas school district just east of Dallas that has removed dresses from the school dress code in the guise of teaching professionalism. WTF?
a perfect argument for a referendum on school boards....other professionals,,,doctors, lawyers, do not have just any one (anyone off the street) on their boards...they police themselves, it is time it is TIME school boards are comprised of Educators
Chocolate is the answer........doesn't matter what the question is.
Maybe, just maybe, we could all agree we are in a fine kettle of fish in this country at this time.
Whatever happened to agree to disagree and then move on to working out some sort of solution that works for as many as possible? Now it's like two jackasses harnessed to each other rear end to rear end and digging in their hooves, pulling like mad against the other.
Perhaps 2024 could be the first year an independent candidate would have a good chance of winning. Majority of folks are fed up with the same old bs and things just keep going south.
Someone in this land of 330,000,000 +/- must be qualified and also a decent person who would put the nation first. Not having to defend a party, they could move the country forward.
Maybe set a precedent for other pols. Elect someone for their qualifications and decency instead of for their affiliation. Yeah, I know, it's time I woke up from my dream. But it sure was nice while it lasted. Now, I'm going to go have that chocolate, bon Appétit 😋
Yes! There are many of the eligible folks in this country qualified! Problem is, most do not want to deal with all the headaches, heartaches, mudslinging and down right cruelty that comes along with the job. :-( Think you don't have any issues the opposition will bring up? If you truly don't, it doesn't matter. The opposition will make something up do discredit your name. Sad.
Bill I LOVE today's newsletter. If you ever have the chance to see either story called, "The Dream Team" on ESPN or the 1980 Men's Olympic Hockey team, titled, "Do You Believe in Miracles?", they're really, really fun to watch. Also, there's one called, "I Hate Christian Laettner" (I think its' a 30 for 30 episode) that is great too and has a segment on his selection to the dream team as the only college player selected.
I opted out of reading the 7 Other Things today because I didn't want to ruin my good mood after the main story. I'll be back at it tomorrow.
I do believe in miracles, they happen every single day. And as with many things, of all of us who do believe in miracles, too many of us take them for granted. And as for one thing we can all agree on? I think we can all agree that each and every one of us could do a little more for other people. I think, deep down if you asked every person, they would know in their shriveled little hearts that we can better align ourselves with our true purpose here on earth and we can help each other out a little more. Let’s just start asking all of those around us. See if we can start something. Who knows?
Barbara, I don't have a shriveled little heart, I have an enlarged heart, but you've touched on a subject on which I have a rather strong "opinion." It pains me to ask this (because I otherwise like your idea of us helping each other), might you be willing to entertain the idea that miracles that happen everyday are not miracles at all? Miracles are called miracles because they are rare. By that reasoning, things that happen everyday are not miracles. May we please give miracles (and the bible) the respect they deserve?
I was 24 years old when we landed on the moon and I remember watching it on TV with a bunch a friends. We were disgusted! Why? Because we were so angry and cynical about Vietnam. It was only years later that I could proudly embrace the moon landing and watch everything about it on TV and in the movies. Sometimes, when I was younger, I could be such an asshole.
You may or may not have been an asshole. I was 13 and remember it well. My father was stationed in Germany at the time after having just returned from a year “in country.”
In my opinion you were justified to be angry and cynical about Vietnam. Still are. I still am. I knew people just a couple years older than me that didn’t come back. And now some of the clothes I buy were made there. Go figure. I still had a draft card even though it was over a year before I turned 18.
not so much an azz-ole, az a concrete thinker than an 'abstract',,,takes time to develop longitudinal perspective; if I may, 24 yr. olde was thinking, 'how on Earth can we be celebrating this much less imputing $$$$ when so much pain and suffering is going on on this earth?...??
We live in a tough time, but there have been tough times in our country before. I’m a Pastor, and I shed no tears for the overturning of Roe v Wade for a number of moral as well as procedural/evidence related issues. But as I’ve told my congregation, we should not be given to gloating for any reason. Rather, we should be work all the harder to demonstrate and live out God’s love towards those who were already heaping all sorts of trash talk at us. I thank God the Supreme Court’s Dredd Scott case was eventually shown to be wrong, and while the 14th and 15th Amendments needed the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960’s to have some teeth, I believe God hasn’t given up on us yet.
And yes, I realize this is definitely NOT one of those things everyone will agree on.
Pastor, I'm thinking, Prehaps someone sitting in a dim lit room thinking,,,, I stand by my decision,,,, it was the best I could do under the circumstances,,,, it was my ‘right’……what now….??
JT, I think we all live in a bubble, where we imagine we have so much control, so much power. We have convinced ourselves that each of us sits at the center of the universe. We all struggle with pride and self righteousness, and we believe our own press. It’s our constant attempts at democratizing morality that have led us to this historical and social moment.
To your question — what now? — the world was created by God. And equally important, humanity was created in God’s image. This raises the value of all people. The bad news is that humanity chose to rebel, to live as if they were in God’s place, and our history since only bears witness to constant, ongoing wickedness.
But what I would say to “what now” is that the Good News is that God sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever will believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. What now? We can come to Jesus and recognize that the best we can do under the circumstances always fall short of God’s glory while ultimately being unable and unwilling to do what is good, right, true, and beautiful. Fear, anger, and suffering are never good places from which to make decisions about life. But Jesus has already forgiven us our sins? What now?
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
“We keep on being told that religion, whatever its imperfections, at least instills morality. On every side, there is conclusive evidence that the contrary is the case and that faith causes people to be more mean, more selfish, and perhaps above all, more stupid.”
thank you for the heartfelt and honorable response, it is good to know that people with these strong beliefs walk the earth...as you are a highly educated person, I trust that you impart to your congregation that many people have high morals, whether they are of different Faiths or of no established Religion. I have many other thoughts and possible questions.....
Thank you as well for your irenic tone and conversation. My tradition within Christianity, the Reformed tradition, holds to the belief as evidenced in the Bible, that everyone has been radically affected by sin, such that while none of us are as bad as we possibly be, every area of our lives has been damaged by sin. Morality, in and of itself, isn't exclusive to Christians. I've met and know a large number of people, who do not know, nor have any desire to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but who are "good" people. But this is why being "good" is never enough to earn salvation. We've all likely been there, where we want to be the best person we can be, where we want to make sure that the "good" in our lives outweighs the "bad". But if we're honest, we should be able to admit to knowing that even if we've done a hundred "good" things, that one "bad" thing we did always overshadows all that "good", or reminds us that we're never as "good" as want to think we are.
Anyhow, I'd be happy to continue talking about whatever questions you might have, though I can't promise I'll have the answers, or at least have them off the cuff (i.e., I might have to go back to the books). As far as confessions go, confession is a regular part of the Christian's life (though we don't believe you have to go to a priest to have confession; just honest, sincere prayer, talking with God. He knows our hearts, and He's always ready to forgive the sincere person.
“Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to 9 months. After that, they don’t wanna know about you. They don’t wanna hear from you. No nothing! No neonatal care, no daycare, no Head Start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you’re pre-born, you’re fine, if you’re preschool, you’re f__ked.”
I’m every survey a statistically significant majority of the country supports a woman’s right to chose.
Now, Clarence Thomas has already said in a recent speech that they may need to relook at gay marriage and other rights as he thinks they have been decided wrong. We are now on slippery slope with this democracy of ours. I truest hope it survives but lessons from history suggest otherwise.
Think they'll overturn 1967's ruling that struck down banning interracial marriages. If they did, someone on the court would be a criminal, and heading for jail, and his wife to another jail. Maybe we'd get a replacement justice that would be fair and impartial.
Justice Clarence Thomas argued in a concurring opinion released on Friday that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings codifying rights to contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.
The sweeping suggestion from the current court’s longest-serving justice came in the concurring opinion he authored in response to the court’s ruling revoking the constitutional right to abortion, also released on Friday.
1967. Maybe they'll roll that back too. Then he and his bride can go to separate prisons and we can get at least one new justice, a fair and unbiased one, with any luck
According to Pew, well over 70% of American voters--85%--think abortion should be legal in _at least some_ circumstances. (Only 8 percent say it should always be illegal, no exceptions; 19% say it should always be legal, no exceptions.)
So the answer is right in front of our faces. The Roe standard, which allowed broad freedoms for pregnant people to make their own choices during roughly the first half of pregnancy, was already a compromise that worked for most of us, even if not all.
Some people will not be satisfied until their wishes are the law for everyone, no exceptions. As it happens, those people have a lot of power thanks to the way the US founders configured the nation's structures to favor the few over the many.
Jun 27, 2022·edited Jun 27, 2022Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.
Here Is ONE thing all Americans can certainly agree on regardless of race , politics, gender, sexual preference or age and that is all Robo Callers should be identified, hunted down and immediately thrown in prison.
Back in the day, brave people fought a revolution against Great Britain for our freedom. When our founders came together to build the foundation for the USA, one bedrock principle was the separation of church and state. Republicans have built their current platform on the back of religious conservativism. No than you. I do love chocolate, but I prefer the taste of freedom.
Oh, for sure. The wall between church and state should be high, and wide, and strong. The Founding Fathers had enough foresight to see something of this current situation potentially coming. Now the ussc sided with the coach praying on the football field. Would they be so welcoming if a Moslem or fill in the blank person did the same. Now CT wants to re look at same sex unions and banning contraception? Does he realize it wasn't that long ago that mixed marriage was a crime? Go far enough back and he can go to jail and his wife to another jail. These folks are nuts. This is America. Land of the free. Live and let live. If you don't like something, don't do it or look at it or read it or watch it, etc. If people think a handful of folks should make everyone live their way, they need to go live in a land with an authoritarian dictatorship.
My mind was going in a different direction when I read you comment. You were referring to Native American Indians, who are still trying to a scale that which rained down in them. And people like me here now and still trying to escape…
Way To Go Jango,,,,I'll probly delete this too, but since you opened the door...in my defense pardon to Lorne Michaels, but I always wanted to write for SNL...prehaps he doesn't want to go thru a messy costly divorce and would rather nullify the whole thing, since his status,,,,he can!
Hey jt, actually only have to go about 6 years further back to June 12, 1967. The case is Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S.1, was a landmark civil rights decision of the ussc in which the court ruled that the laws banning interracial marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So, let's see if they vote to overturn this too. As far as I recall from my school days a felon can't serve on the ussc.
I believe that deep inside we would agree that in the end, Americans will band together to do what's right and find common ground, because as Americans, that's what we do in time of crisis.
when you say 'Americans' do you mean North Americans, South Americans, Central Americans, just what/which Americans do you mean, ,,,or is it like the royal 'we' or editorial 'we',,,,may be no need to be specific, huh?,,,,sorry for my caustic/causticity.....;)
JT, I think it's pretty well understood, that in this context, I'm using the short form of United States of Americans, because that's how everyone in North America understands when the term "Americans" is used. I do business with Canada and Mexico, and they call us "Americans."
I remember the McCarthy hearing when he lost. So many lives destroyed by his lies. So many Americans turned in their “enemies” to the UnAmerican Activities Committed to wipe out all dissent. I lived in a family who did that and was horrified. It changed my life for good. But the US prevailed when McCarthy was taken down. What a relief! Now we’re back in a similar situation. Watching the Jan 6 hearings brings relief, knowing that there’s even more evidence than what was shown. What will happen now? Who knows. But the country is seeing a side of politics that we never thought we’d see. When I was studying WWII, many of us couldn’t understand how Hitler could take such a hold on a country. We know now.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a sports fan and all, but when I saw today's headline about the dream team my thoughts went to OJ Simpson's lawyers. They were also called the dream team just must shorter.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s happening in the US. I’ve also been reading a lot about the stoics and stoicism. In those readings, there is a lot of discussion about the nature of humans, the ups and down of not just politics, but also of an individual in life.
Has anyone had a life that hasn’t had times of an emotional roller coaster? Where others drag you into something you don’t want to do? When you make a colossal error and are paying for it later? I remember thinking Nixon was such a great President....until the Watergate hearings. Then I was devastated and had to change my whole paradigm on politics. What’s happening now is the same pendulum swing.
Remember what Monte Python said “No one expected the Spanish Inquisition!”
Torquemada did (!)
You mean this guy?
Owing to his widespread use of torture to extract confessions, and advocacy of burning at the stake those deemed guilty, Torquemada's name has become synonymous with cruelty, religious intolerance and fanaticism.
I was falling in line w/the python 'joke',,,,my attempt at a sarcastic way to deal w/it all...;)
I have read up on stoicism too and agree it’s helpful these days! A good outlook.
As Donkey said to Shrek,
You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait."? Parfaits are delicious!
Huff Post is far, far left and National Review is far, far right as I am sure was your point. Makes me think of FB which is far, far, far towards whatever you want it to be.
In 1980 when the first US dream team won (I watched the last three games they played…wow) there were (still) legitimate news papers and three TV networks with news. That’s it. And sure, newspapers have always leaned one way or the other but they did typically have a real editor and fact-checked with multiple sources before printing. They might have slanted the news but did not completely rewrite the news. Moreover, they had a distinct editorial section and it was obvious which of the few were more sensationalistic. The WSJ was actually a financial newspaper with only two sections that maintained the format until they decided to compete with USA Today in the 90s.
Everything changed on June 1, 1980 when CNN took to the airwaves with 24 hours a day to fill. CNN was fun with the Headline News repeating every 30 minutes. It was also one thing you could watch when in a foreign country (you only had the WSJ and the International Herald Tribune for news when outside the US) that closed its doors in 2013.
High school,students desperately need a civics class on how to recognize legitimate new but sadly that will never happen in today’s divided America.
https://www.allsides.com/news-source/national-review
never fear, Civic conscious-minded teachers are on the job
I sure hope it stays that way. I keep reading too much news lately about school boards comprised of people who do not (and never have had) children in the school system for which they are a board member. And all the book banning (symbolic burnings).
Public school should expand student’s thinking rather than “groom” students to their thinking as so many politicians have accused teachers of doing. The primary goal of public education should be to teach students critical thinking - unless they simply don’t want them to think.
those who commit themselves to this profession are level-headed and are not swayed
I hear what boy are saying and agree there are more teachers that not who agree. Unfortunately, school boards and districts/states direct curriculum. Depending on the politics they can severely restrict educational opportunities both in and out of the classroom. To wit, look at the constant book banning and rhetoric over “CRT.”
And it’s not just what they are able to teach in the classroom. Just look at the Texas school district just east of Dallas that has removed dresses from the school dress code in the guise of teaching professionalism. WTF?
a perfect argument for a referendum on school boards....other professionals,,,doctors, lawyers, do not have just any one (anyone off the street) on their boards...they police themselves, it is time it is TIME school boards are comprised of Educators
Indeed.
Chocolate is the answer........doesn't matter what the question is.
Maybe, just maybe, we could all agree we are in a fine kettle of fish in this country at this time.
Whatever happened to agree to disagree and then move on to working out some sort of solution that works for as many as possible? Now it's like two jackasses harnessed to each other rear end to rear end and digging in their hooves, pulling like mad against the other.
Perhaps 2024 could be the first year an independent candidate would have a good chance of winning. Majority of folks are fed up with the same old bs and things just keep going south.
Someone in this land of 330,000,000 +/- must be qualified and also a decent person who would put the nation first. Not having to defend a party, they could move the country forward.
Maybe set a precedent for other pols. Elect someone for their qualifications and decency instead of for their affiliation. Yeah, I know, it's time I woke up from my dream. But it sure was nice while it lasted. Now, I'm going to go have that chocolate, bon Appétit 😋
Yes! There are many of the eligible folks in this country qualified! Problem is, most do not want to deal with all the headaches, heartaches, mudslinging and down right cruelty that comes along with the job. :-( Think you don't have any issues the opposition will bring up? If you truly don't, it doesn't matter. The opposition will make something up do discredit your name. Sad.
Arrgh, so sad, but true....are there no young healthy strong Nader Raiders in this time?
Bill I LOVE today's newsletter. If you ever have the chance to see either story called, "The Dream Team" on ESPN or the 1980 Men's Olympic Hockey team, titled, "Do You Believe in Miracles?", they're really, really fun to watch. Also, there's one called, "I Hate Christian Laettner" (I think its' a 30 for 30 episode) that is great too and has a segment on his selection to the dream team as the only college player selected.
I opted out of reading the 7 Other Things today because I didn't want to ruin my good mood after the main story. I'll be back at it tomorrow.
I do believe in miracles, they happen every single day. And as with many things, of all of us who do believe in miracles, too many of us take them for granted. And as for one thing we can all agree on? I think we can all agree that each and every one of us could do a little more for other people. I think, deep down if you asked every person, they would know in their shriveled little hearts that we can better align ourselves with our true purpose here on earth and we can help each other out a little more. Let’s just start asking all of those around us. See if we can start something. Who knows?
beautiful and touching,..... let's hope those persons are not arsonistic narcissists, much less cosmic sociopaths
Barbara, I don't have a shriveled little heart, I have an enlarged heart, but you've touched on a subject on which I have a rather strong "opinion." It pains me to ask this (because I otherwise like your idea of us helping each other), might you be willing to entertain the idea that miracles that happen everyday are not miracles at all? Miracles are called miracles because they are rare. By that reasoning, things that happen everyday are not miracles. May we please give miracles (and the bible) the respect they deserve?
Hi Bill,
I was 24 years old when we landed on the moon and I remember watching it on TV with a bunch a friends. We were disgusted! Why? Because we were so angry and cynical about Vietnam. It was only years later that I could proudly embrace the moon landing and watch everything about it on TV and in the movies. Sometimes, when I was younger, I could be such an asshole.
You may or may not have been an asshole. I was 13 and remember it well. My father was stationed in Germany at the time after having just returned from a year “in country.”
In my opinion you were justified to be angry and cynical about Vietnam. Still are. I still am. I knew people just a couple years older than me that didn’t come back. And now some of the clothes I buy were made there. Go figure. I still had a draft card even though it was over a year before I turned 18.
not so much an azz-ole, az a concrete thinker than an 'abstract',,,takes time to develop longitudinal perspective; if I may, 24 yr. olde was thinking, 'how on Earth can we be celebrating this much less imputing $$$$ when so much pain and suffering is going on on this earth?...??
We live in a tough time, but there have been tough times in our country before. I’m a Pastor, and I shed no tears for the overturning of Roe v Wade for a number of moral as well as procedural/evidence related issues. But as I’ve told my congregation, we should not be given to gloating for any reason. Rather, we should be work all the harder to demonstrate and live out God’s love towards those who were already heaping all sorts of trash talk at us. I thank God the Supreme Court’s Dredd Scott case was eventually shown to be wrong, and while the 14th and 15th Amendments needed the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960’s to have some teeth, I believe God hasn’t given up on us yet.
And yes, I realize this is definitely NOT one of those things everyone will agree on.
Pastor, I'm thinking, Prehaps someone sitting in a dim lit room thinking,,,, I stand by my decision,,,, it was the best I could do under the circumstances,,,, it was my ‘right’……what now….??
JT, I think we all live in a bubble, where we imagine we have so much control, so much power. We have convinced ourselves that each of us sits at the center of the universe. We all struggle with pride and self righteousness, and we believe our own press. It’s our constant attempts at democratizing morality that have led us to this historical and social moment.
To your question — what now? — the world was created by God. And equally important, humanity was created in God’s image. This raises the value of all people. The bad news is that humanity chose to rebel, to live as if they were in God’s place, and our history since only bears witness to constant, ongoing wickedness.
But what I would say to “what now” is that the Good News is that God sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever will believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. What now? We can come to Jesus and recognize that the best we can do under the circumstances always fall short of God’s glory while ultimately being unable and unwilling to do what is good, right, true, and beautiful. Fear, anger, and suffering are never good places from which to make decisions about life. But Jesus has already forgiven us our sins? What now?
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
“We keep on being told that religion, whatever its imperfections, at least instills morality. On every side, there is conclusive evidence that the contrary is the case and that faith causes people to be more mean, more selfish, and perhaps above all, more stupid.”
― Christopher Hitchens
maybe it is not the religion or faith so much as the hypocrisy....
thank you for the heartfelt and honorable response, it is good to know that people with these strong beliefs walk the earth...as you are a highly educated person, I trust that you impart to your congregation that many people have high morals, whether they are of different Faiths or of no established Religion. I have many other thoughts and possible questions.....
plus, some possible confessions....;)
JT,
Thank you as well for your irenic tone and conversation. My tradition within Christianity, the Reformed tradition, holds to the belief as evidenced in the Bible, that everyone has been radically affected by sin, such that while none of us are as bad as we possibly be, every area of our lives has been damaged by sin. Morality, in and of itself, isn't exclusive to Christians. I've met and know a large number of people, who do not know, nor have any desire to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but who are "good" people. But this is why being "good" is never enough to earn salvation. We've all likely been there, where we want to be the best person we can be, where we want to make sure that the "good" in our lives outweighs the "bad". But if we're honest, we should be able to admit to knowing that even if we've done a hundred "good" things, that one "bad" thing we did always overshadows all that "good", or reminds us that we're never as "good" as want to think we are.
Anyhow, I'd be happy to continue talking about whatever questions you might have, though I can't promise I'll have the answers, or at least have them off the cuff (i.e., I might have to go back to the books). As far as confessions go, confession is a regular part of the Christian's life (though we don't believe you have to go to a priest to have confession; just honest, sincere prayer, talking with God. He knows our hearts, and He's always ready to forgive the sincere person.
Have a good day!
Overage Carlin has a different perspective:
“Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to 9 months. After that, they don’t wanna know about you. They don’t wanna hear from you. No nothing! No neonatal care, no daycare, no Head Start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you’re pre-born, you’re fine, if you’re preschool, you’re f__ked.”
— George Carlin
add affirmative rights/'rights' to that
I’m every survey a statistically significant majority of the country supports a woman’s right to chose.
Now, Clarence Thomas has already said in a recent speech that they may need to relook at gay marriage and other rights as he thinks they have been decided wrong. We are now on slippery slope with this democracy of ours. I truest hope it survives but lessons from history suggest otherwise.
I missed that. Who?
pardon my caustic sardonic sarcasm
Think they'll overturn 1967's ruling that struck down banning interracial marriages. If they did, someone on the court would be a criminal, and heading for jail, and his wife to another jail. Maybe we'd get a replacement justice that would be fair and impartial.
Justice Clarence Thomas argued in a concurring opinion released on Friday that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings codifying rights to contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.
The sweeping suggestion from the current court’s longest-serving justice came in the concurring opinion he authored in response to the court’s ruling revoking the constitutional right to abortion, also released on Friday.
Interestingly enough he didn’t mention interracial marriage. Hmmmm
1967. Maybe they'll roll that back too. Then he and his bride can go to separate prisons and we can get at least one new justice, a fair and unbiased one, with any luck
According to Pew, well over 70% of American voters--85%--think abortion should be legal in _at least some_ circumstances. (Only 8 percent say it should always be illegal, no exceptions; 19% say it should always be legal, no exceptions.)
So the answer is right in front of our faces. The Roe standard, which allowed broad freedoms for pregnant people to make their own choices during roughly the first half of pregnancy, was already a compromise that worked for most of us, even if not all.
Some people will not be satisfied until their wishes are the law for everyone, no exceptions. As it happens, those people have a lot of power thanks to the way the US founders configured the nation's structures to favor the few over the many.
pew Pew,,,,it has to be a consensus
Essentially, The Court should get it Right the First time,,,,,should not be based on politics
Here Is ONE thing all Americans can certainly agree on regardless of race , politics, gender, sexual preference or age and that is all Robo Callers should be identified, hunted down and immediately thrown in prison.
lol
Could most of us agree that the Sun rises every day to warm our planet? (Maybe the Earth rises)
I am in Alaska, so that’s sayin’ something, lol
Awww dang, does that mean we're back to that flat earth, sailing off the edge thing.
**joking of course**
Back in the day, brave people fought a revolution against Great Britain for our freedom. When our founders came together to build the foundation for the USA, one bedrock principle was the separation of church and state. Republicans have built their current platform on the back of religious conservativism. No than you. I do love chocolate, but I prefer the taste of freedom.
Oh, for sure. The wall between church and state should be high, and wide, and strong. The Founding Fathers had enough foresight to see something of this current situation potentially coming. Now the ussc sided with the coach praying on the football field. Would they be so welcoming if a Moslem or fill in the blank person did the same. Now CT wants to re look at same sex unions and banning contraception? Does he realize it wasn't that long ago that mixed marriage was a crime? Go far enough back and he can go to jail and his wife to another jail. These folks are nuts. This is America. Land of the free. Live and let live. If you don't like something, don't do it or look at it or read it or watch it, etc. If people think a handful of folks should make everyone live their way, they need to go live in a land with an authoritarian dictatorship.
“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.”
― Christopher Hitchens
agree,,,,cepting for the ones who didn't 'scape nothing, those who were already here....;)
And still trying to escape….
please expound on that
My mind was going in a different direction when I read you comment. You were referring to Native American Indians, who are still trying to a scale that which rained down in them. And people like me here now and still trying to escape…
Way To Go Jango,,,,I'll probly delete this too, but since you opened the door...in my defense pardon to Lorne Michaels, but I always wanted to write for SNL...prehaps he doesn't want to go thru a messy costly divorce and would rather nullify the whole thing, since his status,,,,he can!
Hey jt, actually only have to go about 6 years further back to June 12, 1967. The case is Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S.1, was a landmark civil rights decision of the ussc in which the court ruled that the laws banning interracial marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So, let's see if they vote to overturn this too. As far as I recall from my school days a felon can't serve on the ussc.
ahhhjjjjhhh, may be they'll hang themselves,,,,don't many others believe in Karma,,,guess not
freedom,,,?,,,depends upon who the 'our' is....
I believe that deep inside we would agree that in the end, Americans will band together to do what's right and find common ground, because as Americans, that's what we do in time of crisis.
Eric Jay Toll, I like your name and I like your belief
when you say 'Americans' do you mean North Americans, South Americans, Central Americans, just what/which Americans do you mean, ,,,or is it like the royal 'we' or editorial 'we',,,,may be no need to be specific, huh?,,,,sorry for my caustic/causticity.....;)
JT, I think it's pretty well understood, that in this context, I'm using the short form of United States of Americans, because that's how everyone in North America understands when the term "Americans" is used. I do business with Canada and Mexico, and they call us "Americans."
you are correct,,I did not mean to be disrespectful
No sweat, it's good to write clearly...and I didn't
it's just that I have heard people in other countries, mostly Western Europe, slam us for calling ourselves Americans, as if we were the only ones..
I remember the McCarthy hearing when he lost. So many lives destroyed by his lies. So many Americans turned in their “enemies” to the UnAmerican Activities Committed to wipe out all dissent. I lived in a family who did that and was horrified. It changed my life for good. But the US prevailed when McCarthy was taken down. What a relief! Now we’re back in a similar situation. Watching the Jan 6 hearings brings relief, knowing that there’s even more evidence than what was shown. What will happen now? Who knows. But the country is seeing a side of politics that we never thought we’d see. When I was studying WWII, many of us couldn’t understand how Hitler could take such a hold on a country. We know now.
Disclaimer: all my comments are copywrited and should not/could not be used w/o express permission and/or Mula,,,emphasis on the and ;)
I also would like to pre-empt any and all litigations resulting from my comments due to my causticity/caustic nature.....;)