The Power of Prayer?

Photo: Adolf Ott, commander of death squads in the Einsatzgruppen (see link below for more on this) that executed (murdered) tens of thousands of Jews and gypsies for the Third Reich. Most of them were probably praying when they died. Ott died too. Eventually. His death sentence was commuted to life in prision and he was released, a free man, in 1958.

Doesn’t anybody besides me get tired of all the unanswered prayers in the world? The latest is the miners deaths in West (By God) Virginia. I don’t know how they “knew” that 4 were possibly still alive, but thousands of hours of prayer were poured out to see that the 4 got found and rescued. They were found. Dead. What happened to the prayer? One Pope or another has been praying for peace for hundreds of years and guess what? No peace. People pray that their children come back from Iraq and Afghanistan alive, but not all do. People pray for gazillions of things that never happen.
And, people pray for recovery AFTER disaster. Wouldn’t it be easier for a god to simply prevent the disaster? Look at Haiti. Two hundred thousand dead, mostly innocent of major transgression so the “god punished them” line won’t work. How about the “god wanted them with him” line? Dying in your sleep seems better to me than being crushed or dehydrated to death in a collapsed building. Couldn’t god have “taken” the trapped and crushed faster?
What is the conclusion? A loving god? I don’t think so. A caring god? I don’t think so. An absent god? Makes more sense than the first two. No god at all? Makes more sense than all the rest.
It seems to me that folks pray for bad things not to happen and then pray for deliverance when they do. They pray for good things to happen too, but when they don’t happen? You guessed it: god’s will.
When somebody gets really hurt, dangerously near death kind of hurt it’s “thank god they didn’t die”. Now pray for recovery. If recovery occurs “thank god for the recovery.” If recovery doesn’t happen it’s “gods will”. Huh? If the dude was going to die, why not quick and easy in the first place? If they are going to recover, why the near death in the first place? “God is testing us” or “god works in mysterious ways” or “we can’t know the mind of god” and other such nonsense.
Pray all you like, and if you believe in the power of prayer you may actually feel better about the world. Personally, I don’t think anyone answers the call at the other end of the line.

Einsatzgruppen link: WARNING!! GRAPHIC PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF MURDER:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einsatzgruppen

Smooth-billed Ani and perverts.

The Story:

In 1964 or so, my colleague Fred spotted a nesting colony of a recent arrival to the area called the Smooth-billed Ani. A small flock was building a nest in a large date palm on Ponce De Leon Blvd. near the University of Miami. Fred was the preparator for the Zoology department and a good field man. Tireless, long legs and a great attitude.

Anyway, we took his old VW van and parked near the palm tree. Within half an hour we documented several Anis and were watching behavior when a Coral Gables police cruiser glided up behind us, parked, and out walked a large policeman. Slowly and carefully he approached us. (We were dressed in field clothes - grubby- and looked rough.) He wanted to know who we were (please produce ID) and what we were doing. It took him some time to wrap around the idea that we were watching a very unusual bird colony. He finally got to the binoculars and agreed the he had never seen this kind of bird.

The real story:

Across South Dixie Highway was an apartment building. Living there was a very observant woman that reported two perverts with binoculars looking into her apartment (the line of sight was behind and slightly to the right of the palm tree.) Now this building was quite far away, and how she spotted us in the van is a mystery , but she did. Coral Gable's finest cleared us completely and advised that the next time we were birdwatching in the neighborhood, we let them know.

All in a days work for a birdwatcher.

Fred and I had other capers that may surface in later essays.

Photo: - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/bna_B...

Ephebophilia: What the hell is that?

There are only a few basic strong drives in humans: reproduction, eating and surviving are the top three. Let’s see. Hmmm. What if you deny a typical human the achievement of one of these drives? They eventually will do anything to satisfy the drive. People kill when face with a killer. People do almost anything to get food: kill, steal, sell themselves, sell their possessions or their children, lie, cheat. You get the picture. Desperation.
What about reproduction? Well, we call it, ummm, errrr, SEX.
So. We take thousands of normal young males (Wait. Could pedophiles, pederasts, hebephiles and ephebophiles actually be attracted to the life of a priest because of the sanctuary they find?), feed them, secure them from most physical threats and deny them sex. Even with themselves. OMG!!! Spilling your seed outside a woman is a SIN. Just ask Onan. (Ooops, sorry. You can’t because God killed him for doing that.) The result? Some of them go off the deep end and get it where they can. Remember, though, it is considered a shameful sin in the Church. Some go to the weakest they can find. Children.
Why the hell is anyone surprised? I’m not.
But wait. There is more. After discovering decades of abuse of children and teens, the mother church covers it up and reassigns the offenders to other parishes where they continue to abuse. The cover up goes all the way to the Vatican. Surprised? I’m not. The Church has a long history of abusing power at the expense of human suffering. Time for a revolution. The peasants are revolting.
And the Pope says: “Ja, sie sind. “

Image: www.mintmuseum.org/.../coverup_72.jpg

"Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum."

Sal and I were sitting in an “Irish” pub in DC, having a pint of IPA, watching people and chilling. We decided that life is, indeed, a Cabaret. And as such should be enjoyed to the fullest as often as possible. We were also talking about Ann McCaffrey’s dragons and how they “wink” in and out of time. We decided that life is like that: You wink in at birth and wink out at death. From the abyss to life and back to the abyss. If you believe in heaven as a place to go when you die, then where were you before your conception? No where? That is the right answer. And you didn’t mind it or know it. Makes sense that when you die you go right back to nowhere. You see the contradictions, don’t you? If life is everlasting then it must be infinite in both directions. But it isn’t. You wink in at conception, become sentient and wink out at death. So there is no point in waiting for your “Rewards” after you die. If you want “Rewards” get a Visa card. Your rewards are in this life, this window of sentience, this Cabaret. Religion? Boil them down to this: Always strive to do good; Do no harm to anyone or anything; follow your beliefs. That should take care of business without worrying about the “afterlife”. (Have a treat and watch Liza Minnelli sing "Life is a Cabaret" on the link below.)

Image:eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=340941
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O7H6qDsTe8
Lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/misscongeniality2/cabaret.htm

Raul Midon: "When You Call My Name".

Yep. NPR again. Sometimes I don't know what I would do without the eclectic content of NPR. I was listening to Michell Martin's program last night (she was off somewhere) and a guy named Raul Midon was interviewed. Now, if you already know him, you won't be surprised by my reaction, but if you don't, boy are you in for a treat. He blew me away with his voice, writing and general coolness. Only him and his guitar last night. Great. The song that caught my attention was "When You Call My Name" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_2mp2C1Fc) . Simple and straight up. Beautiful content. His new album is called "Synthesis" and you can bet it will be in my car very soon.

Thanks NPR.

Lyrics: http://www.cduniverse.com/lyrics.asp?id=21360187&style=music&pid=8001578

Photo:http://www.raulmidon.com/albums/synthesis

Civility is Dying.

The house passed the health overhaul. Amid shouts of “faggot”, “nigger”, “baby killer” and others. The tea baggers unleashed a zealous repetitive assault, the technique learned from the McCarthy era, its latest iteration on Fox news. Bret whats-his-name showed it clearly (another post). Lack of civility. The whole Republican party? If not, where are the loud voices from the Right protesting the over-the-top behavior? I don’t see much of it. Folks, for better or worse we are (or maybe it should read “should be”) in this together. Bush passed the tax cuts. The Democrats objected but got on with it. So now Obama has passed Health Reform. Will the Republicans just get on with it? Not bloody likely. See, they play by a different set of rules. They scream and insult while the Democrats talk softly and try to be civil. I really hope civility wins, but I am not sure it will. You historians out there: Does this look like the end of any other civilized governments?

Image : newyorkbrits.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

Rudness beyond the Pale

"Bret Baier's Obama Interview Ratings High": headline from the Huffington Post. I heard about the interview so caught it on YouTube. Appalling is too mild. Baier was interviewing the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!! While President Obama displayed his usual intellect, directness, knowledge of the subject and demeanor, Baier displayed all the attributes of a not-very-well trained Rottweiler.

I can't help thinking that for 8 years, President Bush avoided all non-scripted venues. Why? I think he was incapable of the kind of on-the-spot thinking that Obama has. I could be wrong, but his handlers definitely didn't want us to see him spouting Bushisms and winking to the wings.

Right or wrong, Obama is the President, and for that reason alone deserves more respect than he got from Baier. Every time Obama puts himself "out there" he makes the Republican right look stupid. My mother had an expression: " Stupid is as stupid does".

I wonder if "Obama" means "Hercules" in Swahili?

Image: www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=268309

Obama interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTArUG054nI

Where is Hercules when we need him, or, "How Low Can You Go?"

Prediction: The government of Florida will screw things up so badly that a wholesale change in the Governor's Office, the House and the Senate will come about. Problem: By the time the citizens wake up the problems will be so deep and broad that it may be impossible for anyone to put it to rights without a lot of pain.

Florida has depended on growth in housing, population and tourism to provide revenue for governmental expansion while at the same time tax loopholes were added or ignored and tax cuts were routinely enacted. So, when the "bubble" burst, Florida was scrambling. What happened: Cuts in education, security (police, fire and first responders) and human services for the elderly, handicapped and others. To make up for shortfalls in income the legislature and Governor wisely looted most or all of the State trust funds, raised tuition for students at state supported institutions and accepted billions in Federal stimulus dollars. This legislative session already sees cuts in State employees, education funding and funds for human services on the table. And, of course, tax cuts, trust fund looting and redirecting Federal dollars are also underway.

The results: A looming fiscal disaster of Aegean proportions when Federal dollars dry up .

Florida already ranks near the bottom in many comparative indexes. Can we go lower? Remember the the Limbo? "How Low Can You Go?". Oh yes, we can go lower.

A few inconsistencies: Florida is strongly for the death penalty but "pro life"; Florida is strongly "pro family" but sucking up gambling dollars in both lottery and casinos (known for targeting poor people); Florida is strongly for "Education" but consistently cuts education funding; Florida enacted the lottery legislation for "Educational Enhancement Only" then systematically reduced the budget for education, using lottery dollars to do so. Florida is strongly "anti-tax" but willingly adds "sin" taxes to the books. The list goes on but why go there. I don't know about my Georgia friends, but I suspect they are in the same cesspit.

Image: www.eleutheraliving.com/.../pp_leroy_limbo.jpg

Matthew 7: 1-5 (The real verse)

Matthew 7: 1-5 (KJV)
(Thanks Austin)
Judging in the jurisprudence sense is the issue here. But, if you do presume to Judge, you better be prepared to be Judged. Members of any group that are empanelled to review and render judgment regarding the honesty or integrity of others must be above reproach themselves in all ways. The obligation of all who judge is clear: lead by example; examine evidence including exculpatory evidence; render fair and equitable decisions; live by the principles upon which you judge. There are probably more, but these are a good start. When a member of any commission or panel violates the rules of the society in which they live, or the more stringent rules of the commission in which they serve, they should be treated as any other person accused of a violation. They should not be shielded by their position. This only serves to undermine confidence in the system as a whole, and certainly the commission itself. In order for justice to be served, those who administer it must be above reproach, not above the law.
Sometimes it is impossible to avoid judging others and sometimes it is imperative. Remember, though, that when you judge you open yourself to judgment. If that makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it.

Image: www.cfirecm.com/QandA/judging1.jpg
Bible source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A1-5&version=KJV

Angel Flying too Close to the Ground (a revision of the post from yesterday)

Just got back from a great vacation in Oregon, and a few tales are coming from there. Here is one. We were drinking a nice beer and listening to a roving solo singer. Sal liked his voice and songs and I was less impressed. There was a line in one song that stuck in my mind. The line was the voice of a woman: "...don't pick me up before I fall..." So simple. Hit me pretty much between the eyes. I have always been on the lookout for trouble for my partner, and tried to head it off if possible. Sometimes good, sometimes bad strategy. Thinking about this for a few days, and Sal never mentioning it, I realized that I was very guilty of this. And it does them a disservice. It makes them think you don't trust them to either not fall, or not be able to get up by themselves. Worse probably is when you catch and they aren't falling. Not a good vote of confidence.Even saying this is hard because it sounds patronizing. But honest, you gotta trust your partner and let them fall (at least when the consequences aren't deadly) and be there if they need you. It is my nature to protect. But like when you raise kids, you gotta let them make their own mistakes. Let them fall off the bike a few times.
Song link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfBxfltYD0
Image: flickr.com/photos/jazzyg07/3711439554/