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Archive for December, 2009

OUR DEARLY BELOVED SENATOR GRAHAM (In SC we are so proud of him).

December 22nd, 2009
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Graham criticizes Obama for earmarks, but defends his own.

On Meet the Press this morning, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged President Obama to veto the $410 billion FY09 omnibus budget because it has too many earmarks. Host David Gregory quickly pointed out that Graham’s friend and colleague, John McCain,has been highlighting Graham’s own $950,000 earmark for a convention center in Myrtle Beach, SC. Graham then pivoted from attacking earmarks to defending them:

“I voted to take all earmarks out, but I will come back in the new process and put that back in,” Graham insisted, saying that the convention center is important to stimulate the local economy. “I think I should have the ability as a United States senator to direct money back to my state as long as it’s transparent and it makes sense.”

For more click on: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/08/graham-flip-earmarks/

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Senator Graham Republican Welfare Queen.

Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey. How long do you think you’ll be able to get away with this game, hon? It’s astounding to watch you defending your virtue with one hand – and grabbing as much pork as possible for your state with the other.

As Mark Karlin puts it, it’s like foreclosing on a bakery and demanding a free cake.

We need to stop this kind of hypocritical grandstanding. Here’s a good idea, via The Political Carnival:

In essence, Graham is saying he opposed the “Main Street Job Creation Act” even though it would be political suicide not to distribute the money to the voters of his state. He was joined in rabid obstruction of the bill by his fellow Republican, Senator Jim “Stonewall Jackson” DeMint.

As BuzzFlash Editor Mark Karlin proposed a couple of weeks back, the state of any senator who opposed the “Main Street Job Creation Act” should only receive half their allotted funds. If both senators opposed the bill, the state should receive no federal allotment from the legislation.

That way, hypocrites such as Lindsey Graham couldn’t grandstand their zealotry and then pass out the goodies that they fought against.

In fact, Graham represents one of the many GOP Neo-Confederate states that receives more money from the federal government than their citizens pay in taxes. That sort of makes South Carolina a welfare state as far as the Union is concerned.

As for Lindsey Graham, he’s become a talk show regular spouting GOP talking points – and then practicing the chronic hypocrisy of being a Republican welfare king for his constituents.

For more click on:

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/sen-lindsey-graham-republican-welfare

Graham defends earmarks on ‘Meet the Press’

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham defended earmarks he inserted in the federal budget, including one U.S. Sen. John McCain, Graham’s close friend and the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, listed as one of the “10 Porkiest” projects in the budget.

Graham has also urged President Obama to veto the budget Graham says has too much pork.

Earmarks are one-time spending items members of Congress insert in the budget that are typically sent to projects and programs in their own states.

Graham earmarked $950,000 for the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. He has by one count 37 earmarks in the federal budget.

“I voted to take all earmarks out, but I will come back in the new process and put that back in,” Graham said on the show. “Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we’re trying to build an international airport, an international convention center and open up a new interstate highway to diversify Myrtle Beach’s economy.”

Here is the exchange from the “Meet the Press” transcript.

For more Click on:

http://thestatecom.typepad.com/ygatoday/2009/03/graham-defends-earmarks-on-meet-the-press.html


Government

CAPS MELTING, TIDES RISING, ISLANDS DISAPPEARING, 1000S OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS DROWNING………

December 14th, 2009
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Climate change in Google Earth

Explore the potential impacts of climate change on our planet Earth and learn about solutions for adaptation and mitigation, in the context of the United Nation’s Climate Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen. With Google Earth you can view climate change scenarios, interact with narrated tours, investigate deforestation, and even dive into the depths of the oceans.

Ask a question in the live CNN/YouTube debate

Have a pressing question about climate change? Submit it now on the YouTube COP15 channel and be part of the televised CNN/YouTube debate on Dec 15.

Global Warming

4 WAYS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE….

December 6th, 2009
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Christians interpret the Bible in one or more of the following ways.  Generally, this leads to a better understanding of what it all means. -mackie
 
1. LITERALLY WRITTEN AS THE WORD OF GOD:
 
That most biblical passages, from Genesis to Revelation, should be interpreted literally, unless some other method is clearly obvious.

Examples: some passages are written as poetry, others in parables (which may or not be fictional), and others as figuratively: 

John 15:1 “I am the vine, ye are the branches…” Jesus is obviously not a vine, and his followers are obviously not branches. He was speaking metaphorically (like the brain is a computer).
 
2. WRITTEN AS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT:
 
Christians who use this approach to biblical interpretation view the Bible as having been written by very human, fallible authors. The writers were motivated by a desire to promote their own religious, spiritual, and political beliefs and/or those of their faith group. The Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. the Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a. New Testament) thus reflect the evolution of religious and cultural thought over about a ten century time span.

Some beliefs which are common to those using this interpretive technique include:

bullet The authors of the Bible were very human and often made mistakes in their writing.
bullet Biblical writers attempted to explain their beliefs about God and his will for humanity. Being fallible, they sometimes wrote material that was contrary to the will of God.
bullet Parts of the Hebrew Scriptures represent the beliefs of Hebrews during the Bronze Age (circa 2000 to 1200 BCE). This was a pre-scientific age whose rules of behavior are from a pre-scientific age and not particularly applicable to 21st century culture.
bullet Some parts of the Bible should be ignored and are not suitable as a guide to modern living. Typical examples are: laws regulating slavery, restricting the roles of women, ordering genocide, torturing prisoners, allowing the rape of female prisoners of war, requiring the murder of religious and sexual minorities, requiring the burning of some prostitutes alive, and many other activities considered profoundly immoral by today’s ethical standards. 
 
3. WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF THE MIDRASH (Jewish sayings):
  
“Midrash is the Jewish way of saying that everything to be venerated in the present must somehow be connected with a sacred moment in the past…It is the means whereby the experience of the present can be affirmed and asserted as true inside the symbols of yesterday.“

Bishop Spong illustrates Midrash by citing four stories in the Hebrew Scriptures which involved a common miraculous theme: the parting of waters in a sea or river:

bullet The first story is found in Exodus 14:5-28. The Hebrew people were trapped between the Red or Reed Sea and the approaching Egyptian army. Moses cried out to God who parted the sea so that the Israelites could pass in safety.
bullet The second story is found in Joshua 3:14-17. Joshua was the successor to Moses. He commanded that the ark of the covenant be carried to the Jordan River. As the priests carrying the ark reached the river, God stopped the water and caused it to pile “up in a heap a great distance away.” (NIV) The priests found themselves standing on a dry river bed.(for the rest of the stories click on the link at the bottom)

It is not useful to ask whether the partings of the waters actually occurred. A proper question is:

“What was the experience that led, or even compelled, the compilers of sacred tradition to include this moment, this life or this event inside the interpretive framework of their sacred past?“
4. WRITTEN AS FOLKLORE:

Ancient stories were circulated for decades or centuries via an oral tradition before being fixed in written form. Some were legends and myths; others were accounts of real events. Various groups within a religion or culture passed on different versions of the story. By the time that multiple versions of the same story were written down, many discrepancies had developed.  There are different writings of the stories of the creation, the flood, the ten commandments, the Lord’s prayer, the sermon on the mount, etc.  Compare the parables and other passages in the Gospels.

For much greater detail click on: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_inte.htm

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I would like to add one more method of interpretation called the  MYSTICAL:

1 a : having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence <the mystical food of the sacrament> b : involving or having the nature of an individual’s direct subjective communion with God or ultimate reality <the mystical experience of the Inner Light>
2 : mysterious, unintelligible
3 a : mystic 2 b : mystic 3 for more click on: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MYSTICAL

THE ULTIMATE REALITY COMES TO US IN MANY WAYS IF ONLY WE OPEN OUR TOTAL BEINGS AND EMPTY OURSELVES AND LET HIM CONTINUALLY FILL US WITH HIS LOVE, POWER, GRACE, MERCY AND WONDER.  IT IS A MOMENT BY MOMENT PROCESS. -mackie

For other religious texts used in 1281-1400 AD (Late Medieval Period) click on: 

Bible, Faith