Saturday, September 19, 2009

Puget Sound Prosperity, Snohomish County, and Elected Officials: Truely the ACORN does not fall far from the tree

The ACORN office of Everett, Washington was to hold a (cough) prosperity conference at the Labor Temple this past Thursday, but was cancelled. Your's truely had no plans to attend, being as how I am allergic to people who think that as long as they hurl money and food at the unwashed masses they will look the other way at corruption. I will do my best to attend the next city council meeting however, and let them know what I think of our elected officials giving creedence to an organization that is now so very controversial.

But before the event was cancelled, our local rag ran a story about how the bruhaha would not be keeping the Everett officials from attending. I am reading the article posted on the Everett Herald site (Heraldnet.com), in which staff writer Noah Haglund quotes Democratic Representative Hans Dunshee. “Am I avoiding them because of the recent hubbub? No,” Dunshee said. “They had a couple of bad acorns. That’s no reason to throw out the whole acorn barrel. They do good work with poor people and the right doesn’t like them because of that.”

Okay, see that? Once again, it isn't ACORN's fault that they are giving advice to people on how to run a child sex ring and not get caught, no, its those big, bad Republicans at work again.

Here's a little known fact: Republicans do NOT hate poor people! Its one of those things the left likes to say, but it isnt true. Republicans know that in a capitolistic nation, people have a better chance of getting what they need if they are allowed to do so. And I say this as someone who has gone from riches to rags and back again. When I was on welfare, every time I tried to better myself, I got my hand slapped for it. After years of this, I finally said "That's enough!" and joined the workforce. That's when things got better.

But I digress.

It is interesting that no Republicans were quopted in this article. Maybe they couldn't be reached for comment. Maybe they were busy doing things like playing golf or hiring illegal immigrants, all the things the left likes to accuse us of doing. Or maybe there would be a danger of someone speaking out in opposition.

The sad truth is that both Republican and Democratic Presidential administrations have been filtering money to ACORN for years. Sadder still, and closer to home, is the truth that the elected muky-muks of Snohomish County and particularly in Everett, really only care about the voters when its time to get elected. Again. And again. And again.

If you live here, you know what I mean. Rent is astronomical. Good teen get into trouble because there is nothing for them to do. Downtown is mostly banks, banks, more banks, legal offices, and snobby little shops that are run by rich, bored widows who own a business as a hobby or second income (A generalization. I know, I know). And when the teens find something of their own, the city takes it away. Its another post for another day, but there used to be a club called The House. Most of the young people behaved, and had a great time. They policed each other, applying positive social pressure to not bring drugs or alcohol around the place, or do anything stupid to give the city a reason to shut it down. But someone stepped out of line, and lo and behold, this building stands empty and has since 2006.

We have a high rate of depression and suicide attempts. We have meth heads that roam downtown at such a pace that it is literally more common to see people walking around like zombies than to see someone who is not high, or not loaded, or not talking to themselves. We have a whole population of homeless people sleeping on the city streets. These are issues that, in my humble opinion and experience, could be very well cared for by churches and other religious groups. So guess what? The city zones changed to make it illegal for a church to exist within the downtown area (New churches that is. Existing ones can stay. But if they need to move to another facility for whatever reason, that facility must be outside of the downtown area).

My point, in an Acorn shell, is that with the exception of a few, the City of Everett, and Snohomish County, really don't care about the people. This is just another example.

Yes, people have been helped by this organization. And yes, there are going to be a few bad people in any organization that will behave badly, even illegally. But given that this organization is now so controversial, wouldn't it have been a wise move for the city of Everett, and the County of Snohomish, to have said, "Let's wait and see. Let's be pragmatic. This might not be good for the people who elected us."

Oh, wait...That would mean putting the voters first. Nevermind.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

More soundbites: Everything I want to say in tasty, bitesized, intellectual snacks!

It happened yet again. Life got in the way.
As I said in my previous post, well, sometimes things get crazy and since I do not have internet in my home (Cuz Im cheap..or broke...or both) sometimes the thoughts that come to me have to wait until I can get to a computer. And by then, the world has moved on to other things.
But lately, stuff has happened that makes me want to blog my butt off. And so I sit infront of the computer at my mom's house (Like I said, I'm cheap and broke, and my mom makes me dinner occasionally), realizing that there are so many things to talk about, yet if I did so, I would be writing several posts as opposed to just one that adresses them all.
So I will be as thrifty with both your time and mine, as I am with my money. Here goes:
  • So Joe Wilson interrupted Obama's speech, calling him a liar. The response seems to be that his remarks were racist. Correct me if I am wrong, but don't white people get called "liar" now and then? Do I recall a certain, recent president being called a liar daily? Indeed I do! Obviously, it's not nice to call anyone a liar, although sometimes said name is correct, but why is it alright, even patriotic, to call a president a liar if he is white, but if he's black, its somehow racially motivated?' By the by, Wilson has apologized, and President Obama has accepted, and they have moved on. So why is the issue still going on? I don't know, but wouldn't it have been cool if Kanye West had interrupted Obama instead of Wilson? It would have been more fun, AND the whole race card thing would never have even been brought up! Taylor Swift probably would have liked it as well.
  • Speaking of the race card (a term coined during the OJ Simpson trial; Thanks ALOT, Team OJ!), it turns out that all the opposition to the Health Care reform is racially motivated as well. So sayith Jimmy Carter, our fine ex President who, during the disco era, made economic decisions that helped us to be in the mess we are in today, who criticized the then Shah of Iran as being too pro- American, and remains anti Zionist (How can you be a Christian and not support Israel??) And now, he says we can't accept a black president, and that's what the real problem is. So, will someone please tell Mr. Carter that if we really couldn't accept a black president....we would have voted for someone else!
  • Did you know that there are rules in Congress now, that one cannot call anyone a liar, a hypocrit, or intellectually dishonest? So reported by Talk radio show host Michael Savage, of The Savage Nation. Scary. Here I thought we were in a nation that embraces free speech, and allows criticism of politicians. I guess you can only hurl that stuff at Republicans.

Okay, snack time is over. Go brush your teeth.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Wordbites: Things I wish to blog about in bitesized bits.

Life being what it is (crazy, chaotic, untamable), I rarely have time to get online and put in my 2 cents in. I had the best of intentions when I started blogging, but as soon as I have the time to do so, I find I am exhausted, not to mention I'm probably too late. This is the information age, and just as I decide where I stand on an issue, the rest of the world is off and talking about something else.
So, instead of a deep analysis of what's out there, I will just list a few things that I would blog about, if time permitted. Think of me as the momma bird, chewing the worms for you (Ehhh...not the best mental picture, but whatever works).

1. Okay, I used to like Obama, but I changed my mind at the eleventh hour. Let's face it, he's a nice guy. I like him. But I refuse to join the cult of personality. Yes, we are all tired, scared, and unsure, and Obama's voice has that strong and soothing tone we want to hear, but are we really listening to what he is saying?

2. The economy is in the toilet for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that during the Carter administration, the laws changed so that people with less than great credit or income could qualify for loans and mortgages; while not everyone who benefitted from this change was inept at paying bills, many were, and the trend continued for thirty years until now. To only a slightly lesser degree is the general lack of personal responsability to blame. If everyone is living beyond one's means, skipping bills, getting repossessed, and declaring bankrupcy, what can we expect to happen?

3. Shouldn't there be a law against sending money out of the country to take care of family back in Buttsylvania? I'm not talking the occasional gift of coin, but a steady stream of money. Look, I'm not being racist, elitist, or any other kind of ist, but think of money as the blood of a nation. If you bleed profusely, you die. If money is not circulating in the economy, the nation becomes weak and eventually dies. So, shouldn't we get a bandaid going here?

4. So under the Bush administration, we lost certain civil liberties. Under Obama, we're loosing financial liberties. The government is now enjoying unfettered intercourse with business, and there's not a condom in sight (not even the really cool glow in the dark, ribbed ones). Capitalism works when badly managed businesses go under and healthy businesses thrive. Call it financial Darwinism. The government has no business bailing out anyone. If Obama wants to help, he should stand back and let nature take its course.

5. If I see one more Hannah Montana anything, I will scream.

6. Athiesm contends that there is no God, and there is no scientific proof of God. But then, there is no scientific proof against God. In order to say with certainty that there is no God, one would have to be absolutely sure; omnipotent, if you will. Which would make one...God.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Chris Tomlin and the unknown cosmic reason why I can not be in the same vicinity as him

Sometimes we wonder if there is a definite order to things, and if there really is an omniscient God overlooking our daily interactions and affairs. And then, you see a pattern that confirms all that we have wondered.
In July of 2007, I took the scenic route up Route 2, over Stevens Pass, to get to the Gorge in George, WA, home to music festivals that range in genre from jazz to hard rock. I could wax nostolically about the beautiful drive over the mountains, through the charming town of Leavenworth, and about the natural, awe inspiring ampetheatre much like Red Rocks, but that's not really the point of this post.
The point, you see, is for me to openly kvetch about the fact that there is some cosmic reason why God will not allow me anywhere near Chris Tomlin. Maybe He's helping me to avoid a restraining order, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's a little bit annoying.
Get this. I manage to get to the very floor of the place, and I'm so close to the stage that I can smell the roadies. I'm surrounded by eighteen year old fans, all of whom love Tomlin because he's annointed, which I suspect is Christian for "hot!" Annoying, but worth it because we're talking about Chris Tomlin, after all, and he's both annoited AND hot....oh yeah, and talented, did I forget to mention that?
So his set starts, and I am....You've heard the term, "So close, and yet so far"? That sums it up, since I was a stone's throw from the stage, and should have had an unobstructed view. But directly in front of me was an obstacle that could not be moved. Specifically, a huge security guard.
I'm a tiny little thang, folks. I'm a towering 4'11''. I have learned that if I were only one inch shorter, I would be considered a little person; it is the one thing I am too tall to be. This guy was about 7 feet tall, and possibly as wide. And I swear to you, every time I moved, he moved.
If my description is not doing it for you, I urge you to go to YouTube.com, and look up Creation 2007, and check out Tomlin's set. To the right of the stage, you will see a big guy in a red shirt. That's him. I am somewhere directly in front of him.
If it were a regular concert, I would be able to slither in and out between the bodies, and observe from a different place. But this was a Christian concert, and we're expected to behave ourselves. Drat.
Okay, so a few months later, I decide that it's time to leave Washington and see about warmer climes. I have family in Texas, and I have always had a longing to live there. So I sent resumes all over the state, including Austin Stone Community Church, of which Tomlin just happens to be a founder. And that is not, I repeat, NOT the reason I faxed my resume to them, but I would be lying if I didn't think it would be cool to work with him. Not long after I sent the resume off, he moved to Atlanta to found a church with Louie Giglio.
Not long after that, I thought about how cool it would, in fact, be to work with Tomlin and company. Folks, I am a pretty good preacher and I have always felt that I would have a bigger audience than I do now; Not that I'm a narcicist, I just feel like I have a lot to say. And again, I sent resumes out to several ministries, including to Mr. Giglio. Of course, if you have an idea, you can bet fifty million other people have the same idea, and I got the same email that everyone else got: Thanks, but no thanks.
Recently, I was working the graveyard shift, and in the dwindling hours, the radio announced that it was going to give away tickets to see none other than Chris Tomlin. I had a feeling I could win, so I called and got my name in the drawing. And two days later, I was surprised but not shocked to learn that I had won four tickets.
To cut a long story short, I didn't get to go, and neither did the three others I had invited with me. I one had to work, one was sick, and one went to jail (Read my debute post, "In the beginning" and you'll instantly get it). So I decided to donate the tickets to the place where I work, a group home that cares for at-risk teens in the foster care system. And I was glad to do it, because they needed to have a night of hope, and hearing that God loves them.
And yet, I still wondered if there was not some plot that God had in motion, to keep me from being in the same building with Tomlin. I have to wonder, if I met him, would some horrible catastrophy occur? Would buildings crumble, would the sky grow dark, would locus be unleased? Would my meeting Tomlin, even for a second, even if the exchange was nothing more than brief eye contact, signal armageddon?
Last night, I applied for a volunteer position at this year's CreationWest, and guess who is going to be there.
So we will see what happens this year. I don't plan to go to any great lengths to meet this cute little Texan, but I sure would like to talk to him about music and about Texas (he went to the same college as my father). I'd also like to see his dimples up close (I am a sucker for dimples).
Will I meet him this year? Probably not. But be ready for evacuation, just incase I do.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

A prominent priest was caught canoodling on the beach with his girlfriend, and now the whole world wonders if the Catholic church should finally change it's policy on priests not being able to date and marry.
Well, thank God! After all the talk about the Swine Flu and the economy, it's time we started focusing on really important stuff like the sex lives of priests!
I always wondered why the Catholic church likes her priests unmarried. Celebate, yes. I got it. After all, we Christians on both the Catholic and Proddy sides of the aisle agree that sexual activity is only blessed when in the context of marriage. But is there a biblical basis for being unmarried?
The idea, so I have been told, is that Jesus was unmarried, and therefore, a priest following His example should be as well. True, He is our example, no debate there. But just because He was unmarried does not mean He expects anyone who is called to ministry should be single as well. I can back this up because A) He never said as much and B) Some of the disciples (later to be apostles, the fathers of the Faith) were married.
Despite what Dan Brown may think, the best historical sources (including those outside of the Bible) report that Jesus was single, and I think this was for practical as well as spiritual reasons. Jesus came for the single purpose of bringing us to God, and in so doing, was meant to die. I can't see God settling down with a woman knowing He would make her a widow. I also think that being the Savior of the World would get in the way of being a husband. Most women have a fit if their significant other goes out and spends the night partying with the boys. Imagine the conversation in the Bar Joseph household:
"Honey, the guys and I are going fishing. We'll be back in....six months."
"I don't think so, Yeshua! You promised to clean out the stable, and I need you to do some carpentry at my parents this weekend."
"This is really important. I have to go."
"Oh, FINE! But no hanging around with Mary and Martha. And if you go changing water into wine and I hear about it, so help me You, you'll be back to sleeping in the manger!"
Yeah. Marriage for the Savior probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Also, God doesn't love one person over the other. True, there are those who are closer to Him than others, but that seems to be because the person desires God more than most people. But that's another post.
An argument in favor of priests being able to marry is that, if you repress human sexuality, terrible things happen. Alter boys get molested. Pretty parishoners get hot and heavy breathing phonecalls in the middle of the night (not so much any more, what with caller ID but you get the idea). But this is not the case. Actually, when a person is sexually inactive for a long period of time, the hormones in both males and females decrease and the libedo goes dormant until it's woken up again. So, a person who is celebate will be less likely to go crazy and indulge than one who is active.
Also, priests who molest children do not become molesters because they can't have access to women. More likely, they were child molesters to begin with and, just as they become doctors or teachers to have access and trust of children, they become priests. It isn't the vocation, it is the opportunity.
As a minister in a nondenominational, proddy church, I hope to get married. I am supposed to be celebate, and for ten years I was (I would be lying if I said I didn't fall off the wagon occasionally, but don't think for a moment I didn't repent and try again). I do hope it is in God's will that I marry. And why shouldn't I? Okay, it wasn't the Apostle Paul's thing, but that doesn't mean it's wrong.
So let the priests date, so long as it's done in a Godly manner. And let them get married. My only protest is this: Please keep it off the beach, Father. It's classless, and there are too many places where the sand can go.

In the begining....

Something you should know right off...This is not my first time.
I've blogged before, but they were practice runs. Sure, I still have a blog on WordPress, but haven't updated it in a long time, mainly because I can't remember my password. Also, the longer I wait to go there, the more awkward it feels; kind of like when you mean to call your friend, and you just don't get around to it, and the longer it takes the weirder it is. I know, not the same thing, but close enough.
Like old boyfriends, I had a different relationship with each blog. Some I ended simply because the chemistry wasn't right. Others had begun spontaniously, but lost fizzle. And some were just not user friendly.
It is strange that I would liken old blogs to old relationships, since I recently had a relationship end. It was a bizarre setup anyway, being as how we were between friends and lovers. We set the goal, but just couldn't get there (His drug use may have had something to do with that), and like him, there are blogs that you just love and always will, but there are too many things in the way.
So here I am, trying once more to get my opinions and views out there for the whole world to read. I aspire to be the PerezHilton of the Christian set, only less gay and angry. The trouble is, how do I make it happen and stand out against the countless blogs out there right now?
Oh, how I want to be one of THE bloggers who get quoted on CNN and who are invited to weigh in on hot and heavy topics. I want to see my name in Time and Newsweek. And darn it all, I want to be a judge at the next Miss America pagent and ask controversial questions like, "Miss North Dakota, what do you think about intelligent design?"
Just as I had high aspirations for my last relationship (and until he decided he loved meth more than he loved me, I had reason for such high hopes), I also have high aspirations for this blog. And as long as said blog doesn't go out seeking one night stands and scoring anal nitrate, we should be fine.
But enough about him.
I am hoping to be the irrevernt Christian voice. Godly, but funny and real. I don't know how that's going to go over, to be honest. There are those who think Christians can't have a sense of humor, and if that's the case, I've been Hellbound for years because I do tend to poke fun at things that I probably shouldn't. And I take issue with things other people tend to ignore, or atleast pretend not to notice. Hey, our God is perfect. The rest of us need a lot of work, and we may as well face that reality and do something about it.
The church is in trouble. One of the reasons for this is not the theology, but the people. I have met several people who have no problem believing in Jesus, but darned if the church doesn't get in the way. Ghandi himself said that he liked Christ, but not Christians. And I have been in the faith, not to mention in the pulpit, long enough to see what he meant.
But lest you think my mission is to point a boney finger at what is wrong with the Christian community, let me say that it is not (Although there will be some of that). Nor is it to aim said finger at the ills and evils of society (there will be some of that as well) or to point out the folly of the people we elect to, ah, lead us (Oh, there will be lots of that!). It is simply to give you my perspective, as a person, as an American, as a woman, and most of all, as a believer.
It's my hope that this blog serves as fodder for discussion, debate, and that it causes you to laugh now and then. And if it inspires Perez Hilton to call me bad names because I don't believe in two dudes cornholing under the guise of marriage, well, perhaps I will get that mention on CNN after all.