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When a fish dies in the water it goes belly up. This is a law of physics having to do with center of gravity. When battle is imminent and one contender sees no chance of victory, he too may go belly up. You can often observe this trait literally in a pet that rolls over deliberately displaying its lack of defenses when its master approaches. Physics is not given credit for this phenomenon but in a sense perhaps it should receive at least some credit, because going belly up during a contention is a survival trait. It is pretending to be dead to protect oneself from really being dead. This strategy of going belly up does not always work; especially if the conqueror considers the conquered food, but it must have worked often enough to have become part of our survival strategy. You may ask what going belly up (pretending to be dead) and going belly up when really dead has in common. For the rational person they, of course, have nothing in common. Mythologically (something not true that has truth in it), however, a connection can be made. For the defense mechanism of pretending to die to be truly affective, the contender must truly die. Again this is a mythological statement. To the logical mind it is complete and utter nonsense, but to the irrational (the intuitive) self it is comprehensible. The defeated must truly assume himself dead to convince his adversary. For survival purposes the conqueror must believe his opponent is dead, otherwise he must render his adversary truly dead to assure his own survival. I assume that goal was originally in dispute for there to be a violent confrontation.

The saga of the four Christian peace activists taken hostage by the Iraqi Resistance several months ago, one of whom was killed by the captors, and three of whom were recently “freed” by “coalition” forces under highly suspicious and mysterious circumstances, is a study in the interconnections and the complicity between imperialist propaganda and media distortions.

The media expect the former captives to be grateful to the “coalition” forces. What, exactly, are they to be grateful for? Are they supposed to be grateful to the ultimate causes and creators of their suffering, not to speak of the suffering of millions of Iraqis?

The media have offered a false paradox: Opponents of war have been freed by soldiers. But there is no paradox here. As long as there are wars, there will be active opponents of war, who themselves are more likely than the average non-participant to become a victim of war. Hence providing an opportunity for the warmongers to “rescue” them and try to justify the unjustifiable. Had there been no war on Iraq, would any of this have happened?

 Will the Real Elijah Please Stand Up?

by Jackie Alnor

 Jesus warned us that in the last days many false prophets would rise and deceive many.  The fact that this is happening before our eyes is another sign that the coming of the Lord is near.  These men and women are heaping up the money and the esteem of undiscerning people, but they will pay a big price for doing so.  Many of them latch onto the Prophet Elijah as a calling card for their existence.  Find out who some of them are and how they have joined together to form a company of false prophets.  THEY HAVE PLANS FOR 2006.  (Read entire article.)

THE PRINCE OF THE COVENANT…

The U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance–Part IV

 

By

http://jimihawk.blogspot.com/

Heaven---"Call it Holiday, PLEASE!!! Proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth today speaking out against what He called a sacrilege. Speaking from the right hand of the Father, Jesus said--"I'll have nothing to do with having my Birthday associated with a season of fanatical Corporate Greed!". The comments from Jesus came after many calling themselves Christians began demanding that the season of Materialistic lusts be called Christmas and not Holiday. Jesus said, "It's a season that has nothing to do with me, so please , for God's sake call it Holiday!"----"I really don't want to be associated with such superficial non-sense". ---"I'm really disgusted with all of you, you have allowed those calling themselves Christian to lead you down a path that goes in a completely different direction than the one I taught!"---"You have mingled my teachings with the Foreign policy of a worldly nation and now you can't tell the difference between the two!"---"And now you demand that the Walmarts of the world call their season of greed; Christmas?!".---"You all need a good smite!" Jesus, who was at this point greatly angered, was shaking and red faced. "Who in their right mind would believe in Me now?" he hung His head.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

Take a good look at these five guys. They are the face of compassionate conservatism, or at least one of its faces. They are the five Ocean County freeholders who denied lesbian cop Laurel Hester's request that her pension go to her partner Stacie Andree. Hester is dying of lung cancer, and her pension would allow Andree to keep the home they have shared. One of these guys, John Kelly, said earlier that granting Hester's request, and thus allowing Andree to keep their home, would “violate the sanctity of marriage.” The five have refused to make further comments, but issued a statement claiming “cost considerations” in the denial of Hester's request.

You can send them a message about their stance on “morality” and “values” in Hester and Andree's case, by contacting the Clerk of the Board at (732) 288 7777 or, from outside the USA +1 732 288 7777, or via email at CountyConnection@co.ocean.nj.us

Summary:
We're entering a season when our children, our angels, may be exposed more frequently to their parish priests. Either chaperone them at all times, or encase them in impenetrable chastity belts. Do you think you might offend your priests? Would you rather condemn your child to a life of hell? Think. Read this issue of the Grindstaff Chronicles.

Summary:
The Attorney General of the United States is the author of a document giving a salivating president and a slobbering president of vice, the legal wherewithal to torture people on U.S. soil, on U.S. controlled Cuban soil, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and through rendition, numerous other countries that will soon be reported on. Their actions render quaint the idea of America the Beautiful. They've turned us into America the Salivating, Slobbering Dr. Josef Mengele, or as he was known in the concentration camps, Todesengel: the Angel of Death, the exquisite torturer. Read the Newsletter at Grindstaff Chronicles.

Grindstaff Chronicles

"He Has Committed Every Crime That Does Not Require Courage"
Well, maybe we just ought to work through the night instead of gathering to talk about the putrescent acts committed, now, on a daily basis by this criminally irresponsible government, or what passes for a government. Notwithstanding our desire to avoid unpleasant subjects, we know that sometimes, if the Gods favor us, We The People can raise enough of a ruckus to make a difference, so, doggedly, we continue to exchange ideas and share them with you in hopes of turning course.

Tonight Liz and Schuyler prepared our cocktails. The alcoholic drink for tonight was a Green Dragon, made with Stolichnaya vodka and Chartreuse, and served with the caveat: drink it slowly, or go lie down. For others who didn't want an alcoholic cocktail, Schuyler made a pitcher of Scarlet Ladies.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

The story of Zach and LIA/R has long since taken on a life of it's own, to the point that I haven't been tracking it very closely for a while now. So I missed the news this weekend that LIA/R failed to clear its first major hurdle in its lawsuit against the state of Tennessee, as a judge refused to allow LIA/R to continue "treating" people.

A federal judge has refused to allow Love In Action ministry, which counsels gay clients to turn straight, to continue treating people who are mentally ill and require prescription medication. An injunction was sought against an order from the state Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, which found that the group's two Memphis facilities were controlling patients' access to prescription medication and thus needed to be licensed as a mental health facility. Love In Action International Inc. has sued the state to oppose being required to get a license. It claims that the facility did not restrict access to medication but kept it in a central location to prevent theft and tampering.

Representatives from LIA/R say they're still hopeful that the courts will rule in their favor. And they could be right. After all, the Salvation Army found a judge to say it's just fine for them to get government funds and discriminate on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. If LIA/R can't find a similar judge in a state as "red" as Tennessee, then don't even deserve to be wingnuts. They'd have to be something dumber.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

What some people do to their children in the name of their allegedly loving “god” ought to be a crime. When I saw the review of Julia Scheeres' memoir Jesus Land on DailyKos (written by Mrs. Kos), I knew I was going to read it. In fact, I reserved a copy at the nearest bookstore the next day, picked it up, and added it to my “stash.” I wanted to read it for a number of reasons. Like me, the author grew up in the 80s, during the Reagan era, and in a household so hyper-religious as to make my own look downright secular. But the book also promised a rare “behind the curtain” look at the foot soldiers of the religious right; not just into their politics (in a letter to missionaries, the author's mother praises Ronald Reagan as a “Christian leader” who “leads the country toward The Light”), but behind the closed doors of their homes.

It didn't disappoint. Two days after picking it up, I finished it. Scheeres' compelling voice, as she unwinds her tale of how she and her brother -- David -- survived the brutality of their home and the “christian boot camp” their parents sent them to, draws me to their side and keeps me there. Maybe it appealed to the parent in me. I found these two kids (though I'm roughly the same age group as Julia and David Scheeres) facing all manner of horror, and I couldn't leave them alone in it.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

Oh don't act so surprised. I've mentioned before how I feel about Columbus Day (not to mention Thanksgiving). I guess some folks might find something in it to celebrate, but I'm long, long past being able to do that.

I remember learning about Columbus and his "discovery" of America in school. (To quote Chris Rock "How the fuck do you discover something that's already got people on it? That's like me 'discovering' your car stereo.") It wasn't until years later that I got some idea of what his "discovery" meant for the folks who already happened to be sitting on that patch of ground. I kinda figured it didn't go down to well for them, since there aren't many of their descendants left around.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

It's been a while since I posted anything about Zach's story, mainly because since his return home I felt it necessary to back off and give him whatever space he needed to work out what he's experienced. Since then, a discussion about whether Zach was controlling his blog or not broke out on a previous post. Zach's blog is now temporarily disabled. But's that's not what this post is about. It's about the other side of the story, which involves LIA/R being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health. This evening I got an email from EJ, which linked to his post concerning the outcome of that investigation. The news for LIA/R is not good.

Could we move beyond the various names for God? To presume to know the name of God is to presume the power and authority to summon Him and to control Him. We realize today that this is not possible. It is, in fact, blasphemous in most main line religions to even suggest that we might be able to control God. Yet we continue to imply that we can by presuming to name the God who has no name, because He needs no name. He is the only God there is. Could we, perhaps, even move beyond minimizing God by insisting He created the world only a few years ago compared to an awesome and almost incomprehensible number of years ago simply because we want to assert our dominion over all other forms of life? I don’t care what any book has to say about it, that is so arrogant it's embarrassing.

Pat Robertson, the American televangelist (of the "700 Club" fame, or rather infamy) has issued a fatwa for the assassination of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for "spreading communism and Islamic extremism." The "free press," those obsequious hired hands of the highest bidders for their services, will doubtless laugh it all off, and refuse to discuss the serious implications of the issue.  Robertson has quite bluntly stated that the reason he wants Chavez dead is that the Venezuelan government, according to Robertson, poses a threat to US economic interests. In today's US politics, it is apparently quite acceptable for a religious leader like Robertson constantly to meddle in purely political and economic affairs. On the other hand, when the late Ayatollah Khomeini issued his call for Salman Rushdie's assassination on purely religious grounds, as the latter had, among many other indiscretions, called the Prophet of Islam a whoremonger, Western liberals didn't lose any time in joining their conservative brethren in condemning the fatwa.  Robertson's fatwa came only a couple of days after Pope Benedict's call on Moslem leaders (while visiting Germany!) to fight terrorism (as if real religious leaders were in the business of promoting anything other than religion), without once mentioning the terror inflicted by the US on the people of Iraq for their oil. It is clear that whereas religion in the East is a component of nationalist resurgence against capitalism and imperialism, religion in the West is increasingly a handmaiden to the interests of the Empire.  http://alse.blogspot.com

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

And posting to his blog, apparently. I received notice from MySpace this morning that Zach's blog had been updated, and visited to find that he'd not only written a new post, but also deleted all of his previous posts. I held off posting about it, and just left a supportive comment of my own, because I wanted to see how things went. Sure enough, he expanded the post, which had previously consisted of just the first two paragraphs. You can read it for yourself.

As for me, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. He sounds basically like a 16 year old kid who's been through a lot of overwhelming stuff, and it handling it remarkably well, but still needs time to sort it out. There's is one thing that kind of gave me pause, and it was when he referred to LIA/R as being "misrepresented." I thought for a minute that maybe Zach had absorbed some of LIA/R's program, but now I think it's too soon for anyone -- including him -- to tell.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

Easy, you might say. They don't. But you might be underestimating. I came across this yesterday, and spent much of the evening digesting it. I thought it was maybe sarcasm or paraody, until the author finally got down to business (ironically, right after the 2004 elections) explaining just how fundamentalists -- christian fundamentalists, specifically -- think.

The truth is, having been raised baptist and in the south, there isn't anything here I haven't encountered before or that I didn't already know on some level. But this writer has clearly thought about it, and I could not have put it all together as well as he's done. Probably because I rejected it so young that I never fully absorbed it. (Which, by the way, is fine with me.)

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

Well, not yet, but soon. This week’s Washington Blade runs a story about Zach’s impending release from Love In Action/Refuge (LIA/R). The article, for the first time in any gay publication I’ve seen, uses Zach’s surname. It also notes the interview Zach’s dad gave to CBN, and his dad’ s confirmation that Zach was enrolled in the program at LIA/R. A disappointment, perhaps, to those who claimed (and continue to claim) that Zach’s story was a hoax.

Early last month, a Love in Action administrator said that two male teens in the program were both enrolled for six-week stints in the “ex-gay” camp, and last week in an interview broadcast on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Zach’s father, Joe Stark confirmed his son’s identity as one of Love in Action’s clients.

Cross posted from The Republic of T.

Coverage of Zach's story seems to still be causing trouble for Love In Action/Refuge (LIA/R.) The facility is still under investigation by the state of Tennessee, over allegations that it may be operating without a license, and that counselors may be performing therapy for which they are not licensed.

Still no word from Zach, but the right wing media is now starting to pick up on the story. From AgapePress:

...A Christian group that tries to help people escape from homosexuality is again drawing attention from state investigators. Tennessee's Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities wants to know if Love In Action International is conducting improper counseling sessions with unlicensed personnel. Love In Action recently was investigated by the Department of Children's Services on a child-abuse complaint that was found to be unsubstantiated. John Smid, Love In Action's executive director, says his group does not provide psychological, drug or alcohol counseling but helps people overcome homosexuality through faith in Jesus Christ. Love In Action's work, particularly with teenagers, has drawn protests from pro-homosexual advocates. [AP]

CBN.Com also has a story up that actually includes the last name of Zach's family. It also includes several quotes from Zach's father. Not a word from Zach himself. What it also doesn't say is whether Zach is accepting LIA/R's teachings or not. It doesn't say whether their attempt at reparative therapy is taking or not. If the article is any indication, we won't be hearing from Zach until at least after his time with LIA/R is finished. He's not allowed internet access while he's in the program. On a somewhat positive note maybe this article, coming as it does from right wing source, will silence people who are still saying that Zach and his story are hoaxes.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

The news around Love In Action — which runs the Refuge programs Zach’s parents are forcing him to attend — keeps getting more and more interesting. The lastest is that the state of Tennessee is launching another investigation of LIA, one that sounds decidedly more serious than the previous one.

The state of Tennessee continues to probe Love in Action, the Memphis facility that has drawn protests since a 16-year-old known as “Zach” blogged that his parents were sending him there for treatment intended to change his sexual orientation.