I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, 'wouldn't it be much worse if life *were* fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them?' So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe. – M. Cole
In cities and capitols all over the US, women and men will rally against the war against women, the pernicious attempt to return women to second class citizens.
Really didn’t know about this at all until now aka April 27th, but it’s a much bigger thing than I thought. A new group Unite Women has been working for having a rally in every state capitol against the war against women the GOP and “right” have been waging.
Your states activities: http://unitewomen.org/unite/april-28-events/
Lately, all over the decent and humane sphere of the intertubes, people have been declaring their horror at the actions of one group of Christian women claiming to be praying for the female staff of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation to be stricken with breast cancer. Here’s the link to the MRFF press release. Now at this time, the only evidence we have that these people are Christians is that they have phoned the MRFF and claimed to be and now there is an email where they claimed to be. It coudl indeed be a poe, someone pretending to be Christian. But I don’t think this is the case, and here’s why.
Now, in that I love and deeply respect Mikey, the staff at the MRFF and all that they do, I formally demand to be prayed for too. But why stop at breast cancer, my Christian friends? The only reason I can think of, and I got this idea from another person, is that you want to skirt your god’s laws agaisnt killing people, but you do want to try to frighten them back into your god’s clutches. I do have to demand to ge the same treatment. Pray for me. Pray for me HARD!
I’ve seen a lot of Christians express their horror too. I’m really glad they are and that they aren’t the same as these people who have tried imprecatory prayer. The problem with this is that all they have to seperate themselves from these rather nasty women is a form of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. They must claim that no “true” Christian would ever do this; however, there is no way to determine what a true Christian is. The term Christian covers many many things, from Baptist, to Mormon, to Roman Catholic, to Jehovah’s Witness, to Unitarian Universalist Christians, non-demonimational groups, the Westboro Baptist Church, evangelicals, etc. And of course, most of these are completely *sure* that the others are wrong and going to hell. In the Christian bible, we have one possiblity on how to tell, that any follower of Jesus Christ will be able to do the same miracles and even better ones than described. There is no evidence from any of these sects of Christianity, so that seems to indicate this isn’t a good way or that *none* of these are true Christians.
Just looking at how these women have spoken doesn’t help either. We have had the same types of prayers for harm come from some of the biggest Christian leaders, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. I recall seeing Chrisians hoping that homosexuals get AIDS as a vengeance from their god. We see Christians like the Westboro Church hope for disaster for the US and its people since a lot of us have no problem with who loves who. And even in the Christian bible, we have many instances where this god does respond to prayers to harm people aka curses (Elisha and the bears is one famous instance) or simply choses to commit genocide itself. From all of this, there is no reason to think that these women are an aberration.
As it stands, it seems that by this example, religion isn’t from some outer source that has some “TRUTH”, it is a man-made thing that people shape to their own desires and hatreds. And rather than going through acrobatic apologetics to create a god that is acceptable to a modern person, it’s a lot easier to just chuck the primitive nonsense altogether.
credits: Microsoft Word clip art
Since I’m back on the South Beach Phase 1 at the moment, I thought I’d share a couple recipes for Phase 1 friendly foods. Now, the SoBe diet works for me. I’ve lost 30 pounds and kept it off. I even feel better on it, no or few carbs makes me feel much better. My blood sugar doesn’t swing all over the place and my emotions are much more level. I still love carbs and it’s very very hard not to want a *big* bowlful of fettuccine alfredo right now, no matter how it makes me feel later.
One thing you can have lots of is lean meat on the Phase 1. But even the best steak can get boring. Here’s my favorite sauce for medium rare beef, chimichurri. The one we make isn’t the thin almost vinaigrette looking stuff with a few lost bits of herbs floating in it. Once made, this looks more like green pudding. I love cilantro and happily eat this with a spoon. We usually roast an eye of round roast fast and hot, a good recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/high-temperature-eye-of-round-roast/ cut it into thin slices and wolf it down with chimichurri. Hey, it counts as a vegetable, right? Continue reading “From the Kitchen: Chimichurri and Chili”
Went and voted today here in the primary election ofPennsylvania. I had been registered independent but changed back to Democrat so I could participate. In PA, we have a lot of what I suppose could be called DINOs, Democrats in name only, at least when it comes to women’s issues (Senator Bob Casey for one, who is fine for women to be forced to get ultrasounds, to be forced to carry pregnancies, but seems unable to figure out that those employers can now force their health care choices of *any* type on their employees. Bummer if his father had been told by his employer he couldn’t have had that transplant or the massive amounts of blood transfusions that go along with it covered by his health insurance). I’m not a single issue voter but that is indeed a major litmus test when I choose a candidate. If you don’t respect me as a woman who can think for herself and make decisions for herself, then I don’t want you in office. That’s makes you an idiot and not to be trusted with any decisions.
We also have the new voter ID law here in PA. It’s a test run now, but you have to show your photo ID to vote. It’s been pretty amusing to watch the GOP and TP try to claim that there is wide-spread voter fraud and fail miserably to show it exists. Even Fox News fails and they try ever-so hard. It’s even funnier whenPennsylvania’s legislators are again caught flat-footed by their own ignorance about the bills they support. The nice lady who works my polling place looked at my photo ID but I’m sure had no idea if I was really who I claimed, with the photo no longer that accurate anymore. It seems to be a rather useless measure designed to only frighten people and make it more difficult to exercise one’s right to participate in this representative democracy.
With the new requirements for photo IDs for voting inPennsylvania, it seems that the separation between church and state should now have other advocates too. When the state can decide whose religion is valid for any reason, be it that their adherents do not need to submit to having their photos taken, that they be tax-exempt, or that their followers have the rights to do with their bodies as they find acceptable, everyone’s freedom is in danger from atheists to Muslims, to Jews, to the most fundamentalist Christians.
Unfortunately, many who have advocated for these voter IDs, to correct a claim of voter fraud that has not been shown to be a problem by either Attorney General Corbett or Governor Corbett’s administration, now are “shocked” that people’s rights are going to be under attack. For the article about this “surprise” click here: Religious questions for PA Voter ID law draw fire. Prior to this, it was fine for everyone to be forced to get this ID, no matter if it was a financial burden to our most vulnerable populations. But when it came to religious freedom, to some of the most conservative populations, suddenly it has become an issue.
This requirement for voter photo ID was flawed from the start. This late concern for freedoms seems to underline that it was indeed intented as only a tool for restricting voters in certain populations. If the state can determine that religions are valid using such arbitrary guidelines: number of adherents (a fallacy of appealing to popularity), if it has certain “acceptable” ceremonies, what “significant” requirements are acceptable, what affects on personal life are acceptable, then we are all facing a possibility of the bureaucracy and the “majority” deciding this in other arenas as well. No one can consider themselves “safe”.
seems I’ve found a lot to like lately and in not polite dinner conversation nonetheless. Hmmm,need to get back to my cynical self soon.
I’m guessing the poor man will do the wannabee martyr schtick.
Goggles and a jetpack. Much more fun than a imaginary man who was all about denying the world.
http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4237
The ACLU, and their new campaign Let People Vote, has an excellent infographic: http://www.aclu.org/let-people-vote/infographic/ that does a lot to show exactly why there has been a tide of voter ID legislation supported by the GOP and TP. Funny how it was by registering interested voters the Obama campaign did well and took the White House and funny that now it seems, the “right” must try to cut down that huge number by fraudule claims of widespread voter fraud. Even in Pennsylvania, where the governor and republicans have forced through this Voter ID law, they found no evidence of the things they claimed. It takes a certain arrogance and willful ignorance to base your claims on such poor lies.
le chat Henri:
Even though it’s been lovely outside, warm comforting foods are always good to have. This is for my husband’s seafood chowder. I love various chowders but this tops them all and I’ve had chowder a lot of places, even up in the New England states. Last time we made it, the two of us ate all 6 quarts in less than a week. Ah well, it was good. This is rich and expensive as chowders go. As always follow the directions, they are there for a reason.
Thanks to a commenter, Doug Fo, I will have to say that Philadelphia Distilling’s Shine is pretty damn fine with tart lemonade as he suggested. It makes what I would call a rather American version of a margarita. Definitely something to keep on hand during the summer.
Club Schadenfreude 