Another brain-dead religious fool who evidently thinks he gets to decide what is or isn't true, and facts don't matter. Neither this massively screwed up country nor the wider world faces a single problem that has a religious solution. Fools like this guy will aid and abet the Heritage Foundation in it's efforts to destroy democracy in this country. America is in for a rough ride, and I do not think the republic we've known is going to survive it. There is no situation so bad it cannot be made worse by religion.
"America is in for a rough ride" Agreed, North, Central and South America with all 36 American countries. MAGA is a religious cult with Trump as its Lord and Savior. In Trump We Trust?
"There is only one title that is given to women in all of Scripture."
Horseshit.
Sarah is considered a prophet.
Hagar is the mother of nations, given the same promise as Abraham by Jehovah for her longsuffering under Abraham and Sarah.
Miriam is a prophet.
Deborah was a judge/elder/warlord.
Esther was a queen.
Mary is the theotokos,. the mother of God.
Junia is one of the apostles of Christ.
Think of how many more women would have excelled in poetry, writing, leadership, and science were it not for misogynistic assholes like you who want to take the billions of women throughout history and reduce them to one title in the name of the misogynist deity you've created and your shit isn't even supported in your scriptures.
Mary Magdalene was the chief apostle of Christ, a person he considered his equal and to whom he gave authority to teach in his name. The fact that her story was buried by the church takes nothing away from her. It only shows the weakness and misogyny of the early church and its leaders.
When I was in Sunday School, we were taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Yes, an actual street walking whore who sold her body to random men. The "lowest of the low" according to a sermon I heard at a very young age. Her story was one of those "miracle of salvation" stories not unlike those dramatic testimonies given by a lot of show-boating Christian leaders today (I was a foul-mouthed, degenerate, dope-peddling, dope-smoking, hard-drinking, gang-raping atheist biker dude until I met JAY-zus!") *
But that was the men. For us wimminfolk, it was quite different -- Mary Magdalene's story was used as an illustration of Christ's unconditional love and forgiveness, i.e., no matter how low and slutty you become as an unsaved sinner, He is still willing to forgive and heal because he's just soooooo wonderful and you don't deserve it, blah blah blah. I remember wondering one time why we kept dwelling on her horrid past if she was forgiven. What good was it being saved if people still thought you were an awful person no matter what you did?
And here's the rub: Men's prior bad acts were considered badges of honor, as in, "Lookit me! Lookit how horrible I was, but JAY-zus still had the power to SAVE me! Man, I was a badass! Then ah gave mah heart tuh JAY-zus and now I'm fit to tell all of you good people how to live your lives!"
However, women's prior bad acts are "proof" of their ongoing desires of their putrid flesh governing their thoughts and actions every waking moment. Therefore, their prior bad acts as a group (no, they weren't called out individually -- it was assumed that all women were corrupt and defiled in some way) are constantly brought up and thrown in their faces as they sat in the congregation.
So. Badass crowing for the men, perpetual walk of shame for the women.
* We actually had a pastor back in the day (I was in Kindergarten, I think) who had one of these "miracle testimonies," although it was QUITE tame compared to current ones. His mostly involved drinking, smoking, swearing, and playing pool.
I remember hearing the same stories when I was in RCC parochial school. It wasn't until just a few years ago that the RCC finally admitted that Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute. Gee thanks, guys. Feel better now?
I read up on Mary Magdalene in a college comparative religions class, and at first, I must admit, I thought the textbook was in error. ("But, but, but...that can't be right! That's not what all those preachers said!") Thank goodness I was too intimidated by finally being in college to broach that subject in class. Someone else finally asked that question and got set straight about it.
Up until then, that was probably the first clue I had that the "biblical literalism and innerancy" doctrine was a crock of shit. It would take a lot more hits like that before I was finally open to the possibility that Christianity was riddled with contradictions, errors, and hatred. It would be a lot longer before I could finally admit I had been hoodwinked and start disentangling it from my psyche.
You sound a lot like me and many others who de-converted after being raised in some version of christianity. It wasn't an event, it was a process, and it took years to finally break free from it.
I still get bad dreams from it once in a while. But not like back when I was actually in the thick of things. I think I was ten or eleven when when a revival circus came through town and one of the things they did was take us kids aside and show us "A Thief In the Night." I don't think I slept well for a month after that, terrified that the Rapture would happen during the night and I would be left behind.
Mark Harris hear me loud and hear me clear: this woman is no man's helper/ slave/ servant or (God forbid) wife. I stand on my own two feet and so do all women in this world. Women stand on their own two feet first and foremost. I take full responsibility for my actions. I also voted for Kamala Harris but it was A Man who stole the election from her. So please go toot your fking horn in someone else's ear!
Mark Harris, hear me loud and clear: If you were a real man, you wouldn't need to stand on women's backs to feel big. You would value partnership not submission. But you're weak and pathetic, and the only way you can feel strong is beating other people down. That doesn't make you strong, it only advertises your weakness. Real women like me see right through you to the cringing little boy you are, and we want nothing to do with weaklings. We're fine standing on our own feet.
The problem is men rig the system in so many ways it's often difficult if not impossible for some, perhaps many women to stand alone. They get a lot of help from religion in that respect.
His precious magic book has spawned the most factionalized religion on the planet, so what it means isn't exactly clear. It is nothing if not flexible. There is no independent corroboration for any part of the Jesus story. No contemporary historian noticed the guy.
The one guy who should've noticed and remarked on Jesus...didn't. He was Philo of Alexandria and he never even mentioned Christianity itself, let alone Jesus...
Nope, and he perfectly overlaps the Jesus saga. Born twenty BC, and died fifty AD. His writings are nearly equal in volume to the Bible itself. He was the Walter Cronkite of his age.
IKR? It's kind of disconcerting to see a name connected with goodness, hope, and light these last few weeks suddenly appear beneath a photo of this raging misogynist.
Then the toots from his rear-end will sound more intelligent than he does. Hopefully that would be a new republican fad and trump would do it too. So then we'd have President Tootin' being friends with President Putin.
And then even the MAGAs will tell him to shut the f up.
King Solomon. Queen of Sheba. Queen Esther. Mary Mother of God. Moses, the Man of God. Governor Pontius Pilate. Render (un)to Caesar (both a name and a title). Rabbi (multiple). Prophet (multiple). Judge AND Prophetess, Deborah. Phoebe, Deacon.
These people don't read their own holy book, do they?
No, they don't! I was telling one (on another site) to read his own damn book. I wish I had NOGODZ on speed-dial. I couldn't remember where it said life begins at first breath. He was an anti-abortion weirdo.
Terrific. Not only do we have the return of the Orange Nightmare, we have a chauvinistic, atavistic, bigoted, and generally ... gad, what general adjective do I throw in here?!? ... idiot-child now representing North Carolina. Worse, considering the overall outcome of the 2024 elections, he's likely not alone.
I can already feel the US sliding back toward the 1950s ... and probably not stopping there. Fuck.
Modern christianity has become nothing but a refuge for small men who can only feel big by standing on the backs of others. They're weak, perpetual victims who try to hide their fears by attacking the people they're most afraid of. Confident, independent women turn their bowels to water. Their biggest nightmare is waking up in a world where women don't need them and think they're irrelevant.
What christian nationalism is doing now is a repeat of what christianity has done almost from its inception - what they can't accomplish by persuasion, they'll implement by force. That's not evidence of core conviction. If they were really convinced of their stated beliefs, it wouldn't matter how many others believe it, too. Forcing their beliefs on others is a lame attempt at bolstering their own weak faith. Just as it's always been. And it's why they're losing ground.
I don't think we have come to grip with what the Trump victory means. Like what Mark Harris is, people knew exactly who Trump was. He did not hide it in the slightest. And people voted for him. And they did this not in spite of what he is, but because of what his is. When given the choice between fascism and calling out fascism, the majority of Americans decided that calling out fascism was worse. The majority of Americans have decided that rounding up millions of people is right. They have decided that racism, misogyny and vitriol are not vices but virtues. They have decided that hate is right, and that tolerance is weakness and sin.
It reminds me of the “Chick-fil-a” kerfuffle a few years ago. For those of you who don’t remember, Chil-fil-a was sending money to Scott Lively to promote an anti-LGBT bill in Uganda. People said that this bill would result in gay people being killed, and started boycotting Chick-fil-a. The right flipped out and accused the left of trying to silence Chil-fil-a. And that Chick-fil-a was a good company with good American values. And they were doing a good fight. There are pictures of republicans smiling with holding up their chicken sandwiches. Well, in the end, Chick-fil-a is doing well. The bill passed. And people were killed. The LGBT community in Uganda lives under constant threat. A lot have died or been thrown in jail. Some have managed to flee, but not all. And yet after all of that, here’s a sitting senator proud defending Chick-fil-a (https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/16/politics/lindsey-graham-chick-fil-a/index.html) and saying it was patriotic and brave. And that it was offensive that people would even dare protest them.
And now, we are supposed to be pretend that these people are good. And I have pretended that maybe appealing to the better side of their humanity would make a difference. Now, I feel silly that I thought that was a possibility.
I want to say in two years we can vote to limit his power. And in four we can vote him out of power. But I am not sure, we will have the opportunity. But even if we have the opportunity, I am doubtful we as a people will choose to. Thing are and will get worse.
I do not want to give up. I want to say hey, people are good. They will see. But I can’t pretend anymore. Trump is America. It will not end well.
I just want to end this by saying this to the younger generation. “We had a chance. We knew exactly what was at stake. We failed. I am sorry. We chose to fail. So if you ever have a chance, be better than we were. Maybe by that time, we will really see the horrors that we made. And maybe by that time, we’ll say ‘We didn’t know…’ Don’t believe us. We knew. Don’t ever forget. And don’t ever forgive.”
I'm not sure they knew exactly what they were voting for. They will expect him to be hurting the people they don't like, but many of them will be included in the 'face eating'. There was/is an unmatched level of ignorance among many Trump voters it seemed to me. We can only hope they change their minds once they find out who's going to be hurt. When they lose their medical coverage, when their source of vegetables dries up because the workers have been "sent home". (I have my doubts about that by the way – the farm lobby is quite strong it seems to me, and they don't want to have to pay American workers higher wages, or even invest in automation.) But if that does happen they may well find themselves working long hours in the fields for fuck all, because Trump doesn't believe in decent wages. At least judging by what he paid his illegal Polish workers that were working on his hotel.
Further to the ignorance thing – I just found this. Apparently the more ignorant you are the more you vote Trump.
And that is the reason for their war on education: the more ignorant people are, the easier they are to rule. Even when they're reduced to serfdom, they'll still be praising their king for his beneficence in allowing them to keep their sad little lives- and for keeping the barbarians from the gates (after all, if the barbarians never come, who's to say the king didn't stop them?).
It doesn't matter whether or not there are more of us than there are of them. It matters that there weren't enough of us who gave enough of a shit to 𝘥𝘰 something about them. All those people who make up the difference in that popular vote? They're people who found fascism less odious than getting off their apathetic asses and voting, or who found fascism an acceptable price for thumbing their noses at the Democrats for... honestly, their reasons don't matter. When history books get written about this, they will be lumped in with the villains. They are the ones who did not speak.
Watch your backs, folks. Your neighbors are not your friends if they did not stand up for you at the ballot box. Their silent complicity in what the Nazis intend to do can be bought- and their price is disgustingly low.
"Watch your backs, folks. Your neighbors are not your friends..."
It's not that what you've said is not true, but we would do better to look to ourselves to make sure we don't become the enemy of what we believe in. Every American is going to face a moment when they have to choose between human decency and self-preservation. It's time to start figuring out which values we're willing to die for, so that we can choose our battles wisely.
It's true that we shouldn't become suspicious of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦- no one is going to get through this alone, if worse comes to worst- but we'd also do well to remember that authoritarian regimes love paying off weak-willed cowards and neighborhood busybodies to become snitches. They're already giving their rewards system a test-drive: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/odessa-tx-just-put-10000-bounties (Texas has been trying the same idea out with regards to abortion, too.)
Any 'election' that is held in the coming years will be of the same stripe as elections now held in Hong Kong. All the candidates are preselected by the regime and only the most loyal to the regime will 'win'.
(I thought I remembered his son being the one who turned him in, but I can't find an article from then saying such. Maybe I misremembered that detail.)
To the black Nazi/porn lover who endorsed Harris...
What would you do if Harris followed his (and your) bible and decided that those of dark skin should be returned to slave status? Jesus never freed a slave and never spoke out against it. He gave instructions on how slaves should be beaten.
And watch his team circle the wagons to holler about a different kind of "fraud," claiming their guy is being targeted/persecuted/whatever by the Dems. And they will. And it will probably even work. There is such astounding apathy* over the specter of child sexual abuse among conservative religious leaders of every stripe. Aside from victims, their family and friends, and the more progressive part of the country that is being steadily beaten down, the prevailing response from the ones in a charge has been bloviating about redemption and forgiveness (a special type of forgiveness not available to the masses) and packing the abuser off to another posting. If the accusation is so serious it can't be handled that way, they brutally smear the victim. Thus has it ever been.
*Astounding apathy or eager spectatorship? We already know that they won't do a damn thing to help bring a perp to justice, but one would think they'd be busy trying to figure out how to keep it from happening again, if only for PR reasons (and self preservation ?). But no. They just put in the minimal amount of effort to maintain the status quo.
Why? I am beginning to wonder if those who do not actually participate, instead get vicarious thrills when hearing the lurid stories and reading the detailed reports that cross their desks (which of course they have to read, because, you know, they need to know what's going on, right?). I mean, think about it: every abuse story that comes out has to have *some* minimal effect on their cash cow. Not that this particular cash cow is in any grave danger right now, but the possibility of "death by a thousand cuts" doesn't seem to faze them. Their brand is being slowly tainted in the public eye (not slowly enough, though) and they act like they couldn't care less.
As for this ass hat Mark Harris -- Something about the photo just screams "naked, blind ambition" to me. Something in the eyes or the facial expression. He does indeed have a "pocket full of vengeance" and that will fuel him and his actions, maybe even prompting him to start trying to parlay his seat into a Congressional gig or even the WH some time down the road. I can see the GOP getting tired of dealing with Trump, and Vance just doesn't know when to keep his pie hole shut. They just might find Harris more palatable to the public. He has the right kind of middle American conservative look and the "right" kind of scandal flowing around him -- the victim of democratic voter fraud the first time around, the kind of "our valiant hero who rose above the liberal hordes trying to defeat him" vibe that will inevitably be cultivated for use when necessary.
Yes, I can see this fuckin guy being groomed for the position of fuhrer, uhm, president, at some point in the future.
In that case, I hope Mr. H dies a looooooong and excruciatingly painful death and is denied access to assisted suicide. And no palliative care either, for his own good of course. All that suffering will bring him so much closer to Jesus.
Yes my aunt was dying painfully from cancer that had spread to her bones. Her shit evangelical pastor of a husband guilted her until she died about taking pain medication. “Life is painful.” And all kinds of other BS. Being an RN at the time, myself and my husband strongly encouraged her to treat her pain. After she passed I never saw him again, but hoped furiously that he died in the longest, most painful, and drawn out “natural death.” He did die less than 5 years later. Massive heart attack so he likely didn’t suffer much. However, I found solace in the knowledge that none of what he spent his life spewing was true or going to happen to him.
If ever there was a suitable candidate for platypus venom, it’s someone who denies a dying person pain medication. Or guilt-trips them about needing it.
WAY OT: My gal and I are off on a cruise from now until November 17th. Depending on availability (AND COST!!!) of internet access, I may or may not be around much for the next eight days. Y'all have a good time, and I look forward to seeing you a week from Monday.
You don't get free Wi-Fi on the cruise? Mind you, the last time – the only time – I ever took a cruise was when my wife won one in a quiz, and that was well before Wi-Fi.
Food – let's say on our cruise it was ... Plentiful. I put on 7 pounds in a week, in spite of exercising every day. First time I'd ever had pommes frites for breakfast. It was "free", accessible 24 hours a day, and you didn't even have to cook it.
I just got back from the Wally World three miles south of me, and even though their website said they carry Toblerone, they didn't have any. 😠 But I did discover they carry Tony's Chocolonely. 🙂
My first memory of the Marx Bros. was "Duck Soup." And I saw their final film "Love Happy" on TV. Marilyn Monroe AND Raymond Burr were in that one (Harpo got story credit).
Or, sex slave. There’s no other interpretation for that phrase. If there’s any other definition of servant, it involves payment and therefore, coerced prostitute is acceptable, but yet still a sex slave. That’s all men think of women in the grand old party, free labor and sex.
Noticed that as well. The term "servant" in the bible is code for slave. When Christians call Jesus their Lord and Master, what do they think 'Lord' and 'Master' mean?
Another brain-dead religious fool who evidently thinks he gets to decide what is or isn't true, and facts don't matter. Neither this massively screwed up country nor the wider world faces a single problem that has a religious solution. Fools like this guy will aid and abet the Heritage Foundation in it's efforts to destroy democracy in this country. America is in for a rough ride, and I do not think the republic we've known is going to survive it. There is no situation so bad it cannot be made worse by religion.
"America is in for a rough ride" Agreed, North, Central and South America with all 36 American countries. MAGA is a religious cult with Trump as its Lord and Savior. In Trump We Trust?
"There is only one title that is given to women in all of Scripture."
Horseshit.
Sarah is considered a prophet.
Hagar is the mother of nations, given the same promise as Abraham by Jehovah for her longsuffering under Abraham and Sarah.
Miriam is a prophet.
Deborah was a judge/elder/warlord.
Esther was a queen.
Mary is the theotokos,. the mother of God.
Junia is one of the apostles of Christ.
Think of how many more women would have excelled in poetry, writing, leadership, and science were it not for misogynistic assholes like you who want to take the billions of women throughout history and reduce them to one title in the name of the misogynist deity you've created and your shit isn't even supported in your scriptures.
Mary Magdalene was the chief apostle of Christ, a person he considered his equal and to whom he gave authority to teach in his name. The fact that her story was buried by the church takes nothing away from her. It only shows the weakness and misogyny of the early church and its leaders.
When I was in Sunday School, we were taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Yes, an actual street walking whore who sold her body to random men. The "lowest of the low" according to a sermon I heard at a very young age. Her story was one of those "miracle of salvation" stories not unlike those dramatic testimonies given by a lot of show-boating Christian leaders today (I was a foul-mouthed, degenerate, dope-peddling, dope-smoking, hard-drinking, gang-raping atheist biker dude until I met JAY-zus!") *
But that was the men. For us wimminfolk, it was quite different -- Mary Magdalene's story was used as an illustration of Christ's unconditional love and forgiveness, i.e., no matter how low and slutty you become as an unsaved sinner, He is still willing to forgive and heal because he's just soooooo wonderful and you don't deserve it, blah blah blah. I remember wondering one time why we kept dwelling on her horrid past if she was forgiven. What good was it being saved if people still thought you were an awful person no matter what you did?
And here's the rub: Men's prior bad acts were considered badges of honor, as in, "Lookit me! Lookit how horrible I was, but JAY-zus still had the power to SAVE me! Man, I was a badass! Then ah gave mah heart tuh JAY-zus and now I'm fit to tell all of you good people how to live your lives!"
However, women's prior bad acts are "proof" of their ongoing desires of their putrid flesh governing their thoughts and actions every waking moment. Therefore, their prior bad acts as a group (no, they weren't called out individually -- it was assumed that all women were corrupt and defiled in some way) are constantly brought up and thrown in their faces as they sat in the congregation.
So. Badass crowing for the men, perpetual walk of shame for the women.
* We actually had a pastor back in the day (I was in Kindergarten, I think) who had one of these "miracle testimonies," although it was QUITE tame compared to current ones. His mostly involved drinking, smoking, swearing, and playing pool.
My, how those badasses have evolved.
I remember hearing the same stories when I was in RCC parochial school. It wasn't until just a few years ago that the RCC finally admitted that Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute. Gee thanks, guys. Feel better now?
I read up on Mary Magdalene in a college comparative religions class, and at first, I must admit, I thought the textbook was in error. ("But, but, but...that can't be right! That's not what all those preachers said!") Thank goodness I was too intimidated by finally being in college to broach that subject in class. Someone else finally asked that question and got set straight about it.
Up until then, that was probably the first clue I had that the "biblical literalism and innerancy" doctrine was a crock of shit. It would take a lot more hits like that before I was finally open to the possibility that Christianity was riddled with contradictions, errors, and hatred. It would be a lot longer before I could finally admit I had been hoodwinked and start disentangling it from my psyche.
You sound a lot like me and many others who de-converted after being raised in some version of christianity. It wasn't an event, it was a process, and it took years to finally break free from it.
I still get bad dreams from it once in a while. But not like back when I was actually in the thick of things. I think I was ten or eleven when when a revival circus came through town and one of the things they did was take us kids aside and show us "A Thief In the Night." I don't think I slept well for a month after that, terrified that the Rapture would happen during the night and I would be left behind.
Yep some damn misogynist made it up!
They’re more bad asses than badasses.
We have no idea who wrote the Song of Songs (or any love/erotic poem in Egyptian New Kingdom). Who can affirm their authors were men ?
Mark Harris hear me loud and hear me clear: this woman is no man's helper/ slave/ servant or (God forbid) wife. I stand on my own two feet and so do all women in this world. Women stand on their own two feet first and foremost. I take full responsibility for my actions. I also voted for Kamala Harris but it was A Man who stole the election from her. So please go toot your fking horn in someone else's ear!
Mark Harris, hear me loud and clear: If you were a real man, you wouldn't need to stand on women's backs to feel big. You would value partnership not submission. But you're weak and pathetic, and the only way you can feel strong is beating other people down. That doesn't make you strong, it only advertises your weakness. Real women like me see right through you to the cringing little boy you are, and we want nothing to do with weaklings. We're fine standing on our own feet.
The problem is men rig the system in so many ways it's often difficult if not impossible for some, perhaps many women to stand alone. They get a lot of help from religion in that respect.
That's very true. Religion was always a men's game. There's nothing in it for women.
More often than not, when a man gets religion one of the first things he does is claim a right to control women.
Yah. Because it's in The Bible written by men as the Word of God ( who is also a man)
I hope Kamala Harris goes on record as saying" So Not related to this guy"
His precious magic book has spawned the most factionalized religion on the planet, so what it means isn't exactly clear. It is nothing if not flexible. There is no independent corroboration for any part of the Jesus story. No contemporary historian noticed the guy.
The one guy who should've noticed and remarked on Jesus...didn't. He was Philo of Alexandria and he never even mentioned Christianity itself, let alone Jesus...
jesusneverexisted.com/philo/
Nope, and he perfectly overlaps the Jesus saga. Born twenty BC, and died fifty AD. His writings are nearly equal in volume to the Bible itself. He was the Walter Cronkite of his age.
IKR? It's kind of disconcerting to see a name connected with goodness, hope, and light these last few weeks suddenly appear beneath a photo of this raging misogynist.
...Or a better option would be, to shove said horn, up his posterior.
Then the toots from his rear-end will sound more intelligent than he does. Hopefully that would be a new republican fad and trump would do it too. So then we'd have President Tootin' being friends with President Putin.
And then even the MAGAs will tell him to shut the f up.
"It turned out one of his own staffers had been charged with absentee-ballot fraud. "
THE CALLS ARE COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛.
King Solomon. Queen of Sheba. Queen Esther. Mary Mother of God. Moses, the Man of God. Governor Pontius Pilate. Render (un)to Caesar (both a name and a title). Rabbi (multiple). Prophet (multiple). Judge AND Prophetess, Deborah. Phoebe, Deacon.
These people don't read their own holy book, do they?
No, they don't! I was telling one (on another site) to read his own damn book. I wish I had NOGODZ on speed-dial. I couldn't remember where it said life begins at first breath. He was an anti-abortion weirdo.
“I will proudly vote to certify the results of any election that was conducted fairly and legally.”
If this is true, he will refuse to certify the election of someone who organised an insurrection against the United States 4 years ago.
Terrific. Not only do we have the return of the Orange Nightmare, we have a chauvinistic, atavistic, bigoted, and generally ... gad, what general adjective do I throw in here?!? ... idiot-child now representing North Carolina. Worse, considering the overall outcome of the 2024 elections, he's likely not alone.
I can already feel the US sliding back toward the 1950s ... and probably not stopping there. Fuck.
1850s.
Why would go back to a time when we couldn't burn witches? 1650 or bust!
Modern christianity has become nothing but a refuge for small men who can only feel big by standing on the backs of others. They're weak, perpetual victims who try to hide their fears by attacking the people they're most afraid of. Confident, independent women turn their bowels to water. Their biggest nightmare is waking up in a world where women don't need them and think they're irrelevant.
What christian nationalism is doing now is a repeat of what christianity has done almost from its inception - what they can't accomplish by persuasion, they'll implement by force. That's not evidence of core conviction. If they were really convinced of their stated beliefs, it wouldn't matter how many others believe it, too. Forcing their beliefs on others is a lame attempt at bolstering their own weak faith. Just as it's always been. And it's why they're losing ground.
Every time they lose ground they seem to win elections.
I had to take a shower after reading this. Ugh.
I feel like I not only have to take a shower, I need to move out of this insane country before it gets even stupider.
I think I need two showers. Mark Harris? Yah. Nope
I don't think we have come to grip with what the Trump victory means. Like what Mark Harris is, people knew exactly who Trump was. He did not hide it in the slightest. And people voted for him. And they did this not in spite of what he is, but because of what his is. When given the choice between fascism and calling out fascism, the majority of Americans decided that calling out fascism was worse. The majority of Americans have decided that rounding up millions of people is right. They have decided that racism, misogyny and vitriol are not vices but virtues. They have decided that hate is right, and that tolerance is weakness and sin.
It reminds me of the “Chick-fil-a” kerfuffle a few years ago. For those of you who don’t remember, Chil-fil-a was sending money to Scott Lively to promote an anti-LGBT bill in Uganda. People said that this bill would result in gay people being killed, and started boycotting Chick-fil-a. The right flipped out and accused the left of trying to silence Chil-fil-a. And that Chick-fil-a was a good company with good American values. And they were doing a good fight. There are pictures of republicans smiling with holding up their chicken sandwiches. Well, in the end, Chick-fil-a is doing well. The bill passed. And people were killed. The LGBT community in Uganda lives under constant threat. A lot have died or been thrown in jail. Some have managed to flee, but not all. And yet after all of that, here’s a sitting senator proud defending Chick-fil-a (https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/16/politics/lindsey-graham-chick-fil-a/index.html) and saying it was patriotic and brave. And that it was offensive that people would even dare protest them.
And now, we are supposed to be pretend that these people are good. And I have pretended that maybe appealing to the better side of their humanity would make a difference. Now, I feel silly that I thought that was a possibility.
I want to say in two years we can vote to limit his power. And in four we can vote him out of power. But I am not sure, we will have the opportunity. But even if we have the opportunity, I am doubtful we as a people will choose to. Thing are and will get worse.
I do not want to give up. I want to say hey, people are good. They will see. But I can’t pretend anymore. Trump is America. It will not end well.
I just want to end this by saying this to the younger generation. “We had a chance. We knew exactly what was at stake. We failed. I am sorry. We chose to fail. So if you ever have a chance, be better than we were. Maybe by that time, we will really see the horrors that we made. And maybe by that time, we’ll say ‘We didn’t know…’ Don’t believe us. We knew. Don’t ever forget. And don’t ever forgive.”
I'm not sure they knew exactly what they were voting for. They will expect him to be hurting the people they don't like, but many of them will be included in the 'face eating'. There was/is an unmatched level of ignorance among many Trump voters it seemed to me. We can only hope they change their minds once they find out who's going to be hurt. When they lose their medical coverage, when their source of vegetables dries up because the workers have been "sent home". (I have my doubts about that by the way – the farm lobby is quite strong it seems to me, and they don't want to have to pay American workers higher wages, or even invest in automation.) But if that does happen they may well find themselves working long hours in the fields for fuck all, because Trump doesn't believe in decent wages. At least judging by what he paid his illegal Polish workers that were working on his hotel.
Further to the ignorance thing – I just found this. Apparently the more ignorant you are the more you vote Trump.
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Gbzq3_0bQAATylt.jpg
And that is the reason for their war on education: the more ignorant people are, the easier they are to rule. Even when they're reduced to serfdom, they'll still be praising their king for his beneficence in allowing them to keep their sad little lives- and for keeping the barbarians from the gates (after all, if the barbarians never come, who's to say the king didn't stop them?).
As if they could find native born Americans to work in the fields.
It will probably be compulsory slave labour.
The women who can’t give birth and won’t follow orders will be doing it.
As far as the regime is concerned the vegetable picking problem is going to be solved by sending the n****ers back to the fields where they 'belong'.
Well put.
It doesn't matter whether or not there are more of us than there are of them. It matters that there weren't enough of us who gave enough of a shit to 𝘥𝘰 something about them. All those people who make up the difference in that popular vote? They're people who found fascism less odious than getting off their apathetic asses and voting, or who found fascism an acceptable price for thumbing their noses at the Democrats for... honestly, their reasons don't matter. When history books get written about this, they will be lumped in with the villains. They are the ones who did not speak.
Watch your backs, folks. Your neighbors are not your friends if they did not stand up for you at the ballot box. Their silent complicity in what the Nazis intend to do can be bought- and their price is disgustingly low.
"Watch your backs, folks. Your neighbors are not your friends..."
It's not that what you've said is not true, but we would do better to look to ourselves to make sure we don't become the enemy of what we believe in. Every American is going to face a moment when they have to choose between human decency and self-preservation. It's time to start figuring out which values we're willing to die for, so that we can choose our battles wisely.
It's true that we shouldn't become suspicious of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦- no one is going to get through this alone, if worse comes to worst- but we'd also do well to remember that authoritarian regimes love paying off weak-willed cowards and neighborhood busybodies to become snitches. They're already giving their rewards system a test-drive: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/odessa-tx-just-put-10000-bounties (Texas has been trying the same idea out with regards to abortion, too.)
I reposted this with this addendum.
Welcome to the united states of jesus with its superstitious malice and hatreds. Fuck you very much, jesus. And the meme below.
Fascist states of jeebus.
Trumpistan.
*Massive applause*
Any 'election' that is held in the coming years will be of the same stripe as elections now held in Hong Kong. All the candidates are preselected by the regime and only the most loyal to the regime will 'win'.
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/466045753_488351077565929_956050213804761961_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p180x540&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=8xUSC6t6E5kQ7kNvgHSZp_R&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&_nc_gid=AIAtGvCMukeBlqx9l029spX&oh=00_AYD6TxDOzzJK9N64XMBM5aKu-jAa9XR1TcPBvYqNxoZs0A&oe=67343DA3
You left out my favorite detail from that whole debacle after the 2018 election in NC 9: Mark Harris's son testified against him! https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/695996806/in-north-carolina-election-investigation-hearing-focus-turns-to-gop-candidate
(I thought I remembered his son being the one who turned him in, but I can't find an article from then saying such. Maybe I misremembered that detail.)
Remember back when such a fraud scandal or even a whisper of such could torpedo a politician?
Nowadays Republicans consider that a badge of honor.
Yep.
*heavy sigh*
To the black Nazi/porn lover who endorsed Harris...
What would you do if Harris followed his (and your) bible and decided that those of dark skin should be returned to slave status? Jesus never freed a slave and never spoke out against it. He gave instructions on how slaves should be beaten.
I've started the countdown for when Harris is finally caught diddling kids.
And watch his team circle the wagons to holler about a different kind of "fraud," claiming their guy is being targeted/persecuted/whatever by the Dems. And they will. And it will probably even work. There is such astounding apathy* over the specter of child sexual abuse among conservative religious leaders of every stripe. Aside from victims, their family and friends, and the more progressive part of the country that is being steadily beaten down, the prevailing response from the ones in a charge has been bloviating about redemption and forgiveness (a special type of forgiveness not available to the masses) and packing the abuser off to another posting. If the accusation is so serious it can't be handled that way, they brutally smear the victim. Thus has it ever been.
*Astounding apathy or eager spectatorship? We already know that they won't do a damn thing to help bring a perp to justice, but one would think they'd be busy trying to figure out how to keep it from happening again, if only for PR reasons (and self preservation ?). But no. They just put in the minimal amount of effort to maintain the status quo.
Why? I am beginning to wonder if those who do not actually participate, instead get vicarious thrills when hearing the lurid stories and reading the detailed reports that cross their desks (which of course they have to read, because, you know, they need to know what's going on, right?). I mean, think about it: every abuse story that comes out has to have *some* minimal effect on their cash cow. Not that this particular cash cow is in any grave danger right now, but the possibility of "death by a thousand cuts" doesn't seem to faze them. Their brand is being slowly tainted in the public eye (not slowly enough, though) and they act like they couldn't care less.
As for this ass hat Mark Harris -- Something about the photo just screams "naked, blind ambition" to me. Something in the eyes or the facial expression. He does indeed have a "pocket full of vengeance" and that will fuel him and his actions, maybe even prompting him to start trying to parlay his seat into a Congressional gig or even the WH some time down the road. I can see the GOP getting tired of dealing with Trump, and Vance just doesn't know when to keep his pie hole shut. They just might find Harris more palatable to the public. He has the right kind of middle American conservative look and the "right" kind of scandal flowing around him -- the victim of democratic voter fraud the first time around, the kind of "our valiant hero who rose above the liberal hordes trying to defeat him" vibe that will inevitably be cultivated for use when necessary.
Yes, I can see this fuckin guy being groomed for the position of fuhrer, uhm, president, at some point in the future.
"...from conception to natural end." Yeah, almost no way a North Carolina Republican opposes the death penalty ("natural end"). (Probable) lying liar.
"Natural end" means no assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who desperately WANT to die rather than keep on suffering.
In that case, I hope Mr. H dies a looooooong and excruciatingly painful death and is denied access to assisted suicide. And no palliative care either, for his own good of course. All that suffering will bring him so much closer to Jesus.
Yes my aunt was dying painfully from cancer that had spread to her bones. Her shit evangelical pastor of a husband guilted her until she died about taking pain medication. “Life is painful.” And all kinds of other BS. Being an RN at the time, myself and my husband strongly encouraged her to treat her pain. After she passed I never saw him again, but hoped furiously that he died in the longest, most painful, and drawn out “natural death.” He did die less than 5 years later. Massive heart attack so he likely didn’t suffer much. However, I found solace in the knowledge that none of what he spent his life spewing was true or going to happen to him.
If ever there was a suitable candidate for platypus venom, it’s someone who denies a dying person pain medication. Or guilt-trips them about needing it.
Minuscule sliver of a silver lining knowing that if Heaven does exist, these people are most definitely headed towards Hell.
I wish for him and his kind, and all who voted and enabled The Fucking Gasbag, to be permanently dosed with platypus venom.
I think improperly prepared fugu should be the appitizer served during the victory banquet.
Follow it up with Blue Bell ice cream desserts. Just in case the fugu doesn't work.
No, that’s too quick for them.
Platypus venom causes pain, that no known painkiller is able to alleviate.
WAY OT: My gal and I are off on a cruise from now until November 17th. Depending on availability (AND COST!!!) of internet access, I may or may not be around much for the next eight days. Y'all have a good time, and I look forward to seeing you a week from Monday.
All the best!
Aha! Pulling a Ted Cruz on us, eh? 😉
Have a great time at sea.
Would I do that to you guys?!? HELL NO!!! Thanks for the good wishes. 😁
You don't get free Wi-Fi on the cruise? Mind you, the last time – the only time – I ever took a cruise was when my wife won one in a quiz, and that was well before Wi-Fi.
Honestly don't know. Guess we'll find out!
STJ did one cruise*, maybe you should watch the video again.
* I don't think he will do another, unless he can bring several suitcases full of water and food.
Food – let's say on our cruise it was ... Plentiful. I put on 7 pounds in a week, in spite of exercising every day. First time I'd ever had pommes frites for breakfast. It was "free", accessible 24 hours a day, and you didn't even have to cook it.
How many decades ago ?
My worst travel was Turkey, plenty of food, with cheese and butter everywhere.
I wouldn't call it worst. More likely wurst. It must've been some time in the 80s or early 90s. Way before Wi-Fi as I said.
Is that how you curry flavor ?
Enjoy !
Thanks! We'll do our best!
May or may not still be here.
I hear you, and I hope you hang around. This place wouldn't be the same without your input ... seriously.
The problem with cruises is yu have to return to reality.
Yeah, but any kind of break never hurts, especially when you can do a whole lot of NOTHING for a while.
I hope the both of you have a great time and that you're on a ship of intelligent people, not fools! *smiles*
Molte grazie!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjzW-z48uRQ
I haven't seen the movie version, but I just finished reading the novel of the same name a few weeks ago. Good, not great.
Amusez-vous bien. And don't forget my birthday gift.
He'll still be on the cruise on the 15th.
Justement.
Toblerone? It's always Toblerone because they forget until they reach the airport on the way home.
I think you forget something.
No, you often have to fly to the port where your cruise ship leaves from. :)
Unless there is a bitter dark chocolate vegan version with chili pepper or ginger, the chance for me eating Toblerone are null.
A pity – because it needs culling. It seems to breed in airport shops.
I just got back from the Wally World three miles south of me, and even though their website said they carry Toblerone, they didn't have any. 😠 But I did discover they carry Tony's Chocolonely. 🙂
I saw Tony's C White Chocolate just the other day. 😋
What about the Gingerbread Bar?
Seen it on their website
us.tonyschocolonely.com
(be sure to scroll down for all the goodies)
Say hi to Capt. Stubing for us. 🛳
Would rather it were Captain Spaulding.
"Would rather it were Captain Spaulding."
🎵Hooray hooray hooray!🎵
The African Explorer!
Groucho or Rob Zombie?
Honestly, I had no idea of the existence of the Rob Zombie character until looking up the Groucho one to ensure I had the spelling correct.
(Did someone call me shnoror?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BMtqqHRvB8
When I binged Capt. Spaulding, Rob Zombie was the first listed. I'm sure I saw 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 as a kid, but I don't remember any of it.
Same...and it came as a surprise. Apparently Zombie named his character after Marx's.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Spaulding_(Rob_Zombie_character)#Concept_and_characteristics
My first memory of the Marx Bros. was "Duck Soup." And I saw their final film "Love Happy" on TV. Marilyn Monroe AND Raymond Burr were in that one (Harpo got story credit).
"Groucho or Rob Zombie?"
youtu.be/PKwN1bW15YI
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐞?
https://www.howtogeek.com/how-much-will-international-data-roaming-cost-me/
From today's newsletter.
A servant lover, huh?
Or, sex slave. There’s no other interpretation for that phrase. If there’s any other definition of servant, it involves payment and therefore, coerced prostitute is acceptable, but yet still a sex slave. That’s all men think of women in the grand old party, free labor and sex.
Noticed that as well. The term "servant" in the bible is code for slave. When Christians call Jesus their Lord and Master, what do they think 'Lord' and 'Master' mean?
They don't. They literally never think it through that far.