I (??) Obama on the Golf Course?

One of the ‘perks’ of living in Idaho is having a “third eye” for certain signs such as swastikas or catchy names, say like – Aryan Nations White Boyz Society.

So seeing this story in the Idaho Statesman early this afternoon got me to thinking.  Then I saw the picture at Think Progress just a bit ago.

Okay….

Now.   Ya know….. huh.

I (what?) Obama.   I ‘swastika’ Obama.   Then I noticed that swastika appears to be reversed from the usually seen Hitlerian swastika seen here =>

See the difference.  It’s what one commenter pointed out at Think Progress as a “manji symbol (mirror image of Nazi swastika.”

The manji symbol comes from Buddhism, and being Catholic (however lapsed) I’m not too learned in Buddhism – although I do know Thomas Merton was pretty into it himself, and I’ve been a fan of Merton’s since 1968.  I don’t think that counts though.

In case you’re suffering from ADD today or strung out on Sudafed & Nyquil . . . .  here’s something from You Tube!

Perhaps  – just perhaps, the message isn’t the obvious hate-filled one but one of love and harmony.   It could be.

9/9/09 = 27 = 9, Ah Geez!

And if you feel so inclined as to get REAL freaked out ….. go listen to the ones played backwards!

Happy 4th of July?

Someone stopped by today to ‘read’ a couple of posts and left a message on my ‘About’ page. Now when I started this blog, I just basically threw together some thoughts to have something there. It was also to give myself some idea of how to approach this blog given my interest in politics, social justice, worker rights, etc., along with my degree in Religious Studies. All overshadowed, of course, by my propensity to cuss. 😉

Originally I wrote this:

The focus to be on social justice issues, spirituality, the effect of religion(s) upon our society and other societies around the world. Social justice in the long tradition of the Catholic Church as evidenced by the likes of St. Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day, etc. Still thinking …. Still tuning – or not.

Today, a Mr. Fields left this in response to the above:

Greg Fields, on July 4th, 2008 at 7:55 am Said:

Lets Just ignore the terrorists and maybe the next act will be your home town. I am sick of you people We are at war or maybe you would just like to roll over and play dead and see what Islamic justice is like.

All right.

Now – I don’t see how his response relates to my defining what might appear on this blog.

However what I did notice is that stuck smack dab in the midst of his tiny diatribe is the phrase “you people.” Of course, I’m hoping someone who knows me might clue me in to which ‘you people’ camp I fall into; perhaps, a fellow blogger?

Now as for Mr. Fields ….

Tamarack’s $42.5 Million Loan?

Stumbling across this story on the MSNBC site  last Saturday a week ago, I’m wondering how common is this.

I’m of the mind that if Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi need financial backing to upgrade, etc., at Tamarack, they can do it without the help of the government, be it federal, state, county, city or a Neighborhood Watch group.

I note the phrase “the public.” I offer that it is not referencing the common, everyday, working class “the public”, but a specific class whose earning power is significantly greater than mine.

At the website of the Municipal Bond Bank (Idaho), it reads – right up front:

A municipal bond bank is a state level entity which lends money to local governments within the state, with the goal of providing funds for their infrastructure needs and access to the capital markets at competitive interest rates.

Okay, so the MBB would lend the money to the city of Cascade, Donnelly or the county of Valley to accommodate the needs of this new business?

I take it then, this is a common practice?

ReThug Lackey

This photo caught my eye this morning. Joe Lieberman . . . . . what a fucking tool.

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Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (L) and Senator Joe Lieberman campaign together at a town meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, January 3, 2008.*

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*REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

No! They Diddn’t!

It’s not enough that Blackwater can slaughter Iraqis at will, now there’s this little tidbit someone forgot to mention.

The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month’s deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.

<snip>

Three senior law enforcement officials said all the Blackwater bodyguards involved — both in the vehicle convoy and in at least two helicopters above — were given the legal protection as investigators from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security sought to find out what happened. The bureau is an arm of the State Department.

 No, I have some news for you here, fellas…..

The law enforcement and State Department officials agreed to speak only if they could remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the inquiry into the incident.

Oh, no – it’s not for reason of “the sensitivity of the inquiry” that you want to remain anonymous, it’s because someone – and maybe more than one someones – will want to kick your ass.  

Erik Prince said they are Americans working for America.  No they’re not.  These are traitorous, red-necked, murderous thugs.  They are mercenaries as intent on destroying America as is the Bush administration.

Bumper sticker ALERT!

Sent in by a local democrat to our e-list:

“Scrape that “W” sticker off – it’s embarassing“

Sheila Jackson Lee & watching Amistad – again

Just finished watching the movie Amistad – again. It is a truly powerful film.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it – 12, 13 . . . . but each time certain scenes still fill me with repugnance. Each time certain scenes fill with me sentimentality. I’m forever appalled at the brutality of using people as anchors to assist in another’s drowning, and the starkness of a posted announcement advising the sale of ’10 Negro persons’ always sickens me.

One might think that after all this country has been through, all that we’ve lost, gained, and traded away, we would have a more aware constituency. I think the constituency has lapsed into what Pink Floyd termed “comfortable numbness.”

“What kind of place is this where laws almost exist? ” Cinque roars.