Ieshia Evans Getting Arrested During a Peaceful Protest in Baton Rouge
July 9, 2016

Notice anything unusual about this photo? (by Jonathan Bachman)
Look closely.

What a striking contrast is on display here .. for all the world to see.
Right out in the middle of the street .. a 3-lane highway.

You cant help but notice the long crack that divides them.
A crack all too symbolic of our fracturing society.

This woman is originally from Brooklyn. She lives in Pennsylvania
and traveled to Baton Rouge to add her voice to those protesting the shooting of Alton Sterling.

She is 28 and took the road less-traveled all the way down to Baton Rouge
in order to try to bring about a more just society for her 5 year old son.
Can you blame her?

That little boy is no doubt very proud of his mom.
For her troubles, she spent a day and a night in jail.

Actions always speak louder.

This is not easy to do .. what she is doing here.
I mean, she certainly makes it look easy .. but it's not.
Go ahead and give it a try, my friend, and you'll see what I mean.

Let me know how that works out for you, hoss.

» Time to Choose Sides .. Choose Carefully

This photo speaks to me.
It tells me that it's time to choose sides.
Make your choice .. choose wisely.

The choice has never been more clear.
The left and the right.

Coffee Joe knows what I am talking about.

Elijah Cummings knows what I am talking about.

This choice contrasts the starkest of differences.
There is no mistaking the differences in this stark contrast.

Don't say you werent warned.

"Fuck over others, and oppress them. Even kill them, if you must, so that I can continue to lead a more comfortable life..."
.. this is not a sentiment that the scriptures teach.

Do you feel that some evangelicals give Christianity a bad name?
I wonder what David Brooks thinks.

As a so-called "Christian" nation? .. shouldnt we be waay beyond this by now?
I wonder why we're not.

It's like they are saying,
"God bless me-n-mine .. us four and no more. Hurry up and build that fucking wall."

» They Simply Dont Have It In Them

See .. Obama and others are calling for the nation to engage in a dialogue
in order for us to come together in and with an understanding of each other.

But, my intuition tells me that some people are simply unable ..
.. to see beyond their own four walls ..
.. to put themselves into the shoes of another person (.. really understanding what they feel).

It's not that they dont care for such a thing, but rather that they simply cannot do such a thing.
It lies beyond their ability.
Putting yourself into the shoes of another person is the operation of empathy and compassion.

I am not saying that they cannot be pleasant, or even charming, at times.
I am saying, rather, that they are unable to empathize .. with another human being, with another soul.
Which is why they do the things that they do.

» Harry Clearly Doesnt Have It In Him

Notice at t=6:55 here (video posted July 7, 2016) .. where Paul Martin is asking Harry if he can imagine how it feels
for him to explain to his 4-year old son about how a black child should deal with the police.
Erin chimes in (at t=7:15), asking Harry if he thinks can "truly understand"
what it's like to be black and deal with the police.

Harry's answer here is very interesting, very telling .. because he's making my exact point.
He responds by saying that he » cant read minds.
But, empathy and compassion is not mind-reading.
It's not a mind thing at all.

Nobody is talking about mind-reading.
It goes right over his head. His obviously doesnt get it.
And it is clear .. that he could give a flying happy fuck what they feel.

The answer to Erin's question here is obviously » no, he cant.
(Just look at the expression on his face. It's stone cold and unfeeling.)
He thinks Erin is talking about mind-reading.
He obviously doesnt have it in him. (You know. Seth knows at t=4:45. George Will. too.)

I know that he doesnt have it in him .. because I used to not have it in me either.
So I know exactly what he doesnt have in him.
I know that feeling .. very well.
(So it's not like I dont feel for him.)

After watching the video of this 'discussion' with Harry,
dont you get the impression that it was an exercise in futility?
Harry is clearly not trying to understand why black people might feel they way they do about the police.

This is clearly not his objective.

» This Touchy-Feely Dialogue is a Red Herring

I would contend [ do your own research and I'm confident that you'll concur ] ..
I would contend, my friend, that they simply dont have it in them.

So, all this touchy-feely talk really does nothing. It gets nowhere.
In fact, you could argue that it actually makes things worse.
And some have danced around this exact point.

Sure, Obama and the others certainly mean well, and they surely have good intentions ..
because, really, what else can they do or say?

To the degree that I am correct here [ and yes, I have researched this myself ] ..
to the degree that I'm correct, this call for a national dialogue is a red herring.

» How to Recognize the Tricks When Somebody is Trying to Trick-Fuck You

Ooh, look at me using fancy concepts here. Red herring.
One of last college classes I ever took .. was a class in Logic.
.. which happens to tie-in nicely with Philosophy.

I found this class in Logic to be well worth my while.
Not far from fascinating.
I list Logic second .. in my list of topics that I feel people should acquaint themselves with.

These are concepts that I would consider (based on first-hand experience, of course) » life enhancing.
You can actually see and feel your world broadening and expanding .. right before your very eyes.

In a way, you could subtitle a class in Logic as
» How to Not Be Full of Shit When You Try to Make a Point With Someone
Or perhaps » How to Recognize the Tricks When Somebody is Trying to Trick-Fuck You.

» Finding Someone to Validate the Hate They Feel

My point here is that .. if people really gave a fuck, and really cared about what another person thought or felt
.. they would've done it long ago.

They are more interested in finding someone who validates the hate they feel.
Empathy and compassion for the weak and the poor and the helpless are foreign to them.
Am I saying anything that has not already become painfully obvious to everybody?

Scripture says that the wicked will be destroyed by a thing of its own making.
(You know the deal .. it's never pretty. Slowmotion trainwrecks rarely are. You know. Brace yourself. Crash imminent.)
I wonder what Fareed thinks. I wonder what Bill Maher thinks. I wonder what Maria thinks.
I already know what Steve Schmidt thinks.

» I Do Not Want to be Confused With These Money-Loving Christians

This is one of the reasons why I season my writing with a generous sprinkling of the word 'fuck'.
.. because I do not want to be associated with these appearance-minded "christians".
Who are very often money-minded christians .. who seem to be talking about money all the time.
Their mouths say one thing .. but their actions say something completely different.

Now, you might think it was the years I spent as a sailor,
and I would cede you some validity there.
But really, if a writer is to write plainly in the twenty-first century,
he will need to be proficient in using the word 'fuck'.

[ Nothing quite captures the feeling like "Go fuck yourself you worthless piece of shit." ]

If there is one good thing that you could say about the Donald,
it's that he has been abundantly clear about his values.
And to see so many so-called christians getting behind the man and these values of his .. is sad.

» The Donald has Already Demonstrated that He Will Leave Your Ass Hanging in the Lurch

The Donald has already demonstrated for you, time and again, that he will abandon your ass
and leave you hanging there in the lurch
soon as his shiny, golden chariot starts to head south.

This is what the Donald does .. he talks people into buying into his ideas.
He is literally a professional at this shit.
He has spent his whole life perfecting his art, his craft (his bullshit).

It seems so plainly obvious to so many.
But clearly, many who should know better either cant see it
or they dont want to.

How can people not see the obvious?
People hear what they want to hear.

Speaking of which .. I am going to merely note this piece here.
And I may return in the future to comment upon it.
There are many interesting points that I would like to call attention to.

I want to explore what such a statement means ..
such as the ones he is making there.
I want to explore the underlying logic.

Because the piece speaks to (reveals, sheds light on) values and priorities.

It could take me a while to get back to this,
but the main point that I should at least mention here ..
is that, these people want the whole world to accept and live by their "values".

And they want anybody who does not accept and live by these values ..
they want these people either rotting in a jail cell somewhere ..
.. or dead. And it does seem to make much difference to them which option is selected.

But these peole do not even live by these values themselves.
They merely pay lip-service to them.
(I used to do this shit myself .. so yes, I get it.)

It's such a total piece of hypocritical bullshit .. that it stinks to high heaven.
I could go on for quite some distance ..
pointing out the holes in the reasoning that they adopt for their position.

Because they are so obvious.
To everybody except these self-deluded hypocrites.

They have entrenched themselves so far into an indefensible position ..
that it is now (seemingly) impossible for them to dig themselves out.

It's not going to end well for them.
It's not going to be pretty.
It's only going to get worse.

And it's going to keep getting worse.
For a long time .. for a very long time.
You cannot possibly imagine how long.

These fuckers are going to get everything that they're entitled to.
Unfortunately for them, this is going to take some time.

Step away from the big, red X marked » "Moral bolt of Lightning strike here now".
If you can.

Let's leave this sad subject behind (let no one say that I didnt try to warn them) ...
At some point, you need to leave them to their own devices.
Speaking of their own devices...

Rich kids often grow up with the idea that paid servants will clean up their messes for them.
David Brooks concludes his column of July 22, 2016 by writing
"Some rich children are careless that way; they break things and other people have to clean up the mess."

If anybody would know...

Just look at what George Bush did.
The economy melted down near the end of his 8 years, and he said,
"Sorry about that, guys. W is up out this broke-ass bitch. You deal with the results of my incompetence. I'm going to paint pictures."

Seems only fitting that he got a negro to clean up his national mess.
Historically fitting.

The Donald is saying, "I can save this sinking Republican ship for you .. by doing even more of what broke it."
And people are buying into his message.
People who should know better.

» What Would Moses Say?

I wonder what Moses would say here.
Preferring to endure ill-treatment with the people of God ..
.. does not sound like very much fun.
Does it?

Why would Moses ever do such a crazy thing?
I bet he heard crazy voices talking to him.
Telling him to do things that sounded crazy to his ears.

Many of today's so-called christians would be helping Pharaoh
to oppress the children of Israel ..
as long as they could continue to enjoy the pleasures that Pharaoh provided.
They couldnt care less about things like justice and mercy.

Speaking of things that sound crazy ...

» The Walking Torch Can Be Terrifying

Peter said that judgment begins with the household of God.
I wonder what he meant by that.
You know Peter.

He was always getting into trouble .. with the Law. (We wont even mention the trouble Paul got into.)
Even more trouble than this girl here .. pictured at the top of the page.
Ieshia Evans.

This puts her in good company.
No doubt she passed thru a number of narrow gates that day.
And I'm sure that none of them were very pretty.

My intuition tells me that such judgment .. is not a fun thing.
Especially after you have been warned repeatedly.

It can be a terrifying thing .. when the Torch is walking your way.
I'm sure that Paul would back me up here.
Moses, too.

Notice how, when the Torch shows up (v17), he was accompanied by a terror,
by a horror, by a shuddering fear, by a nightmare (v12).

Notice also, how right smack dab in the middle of the terror (v12) and the Torch showing up (v17)
God says that he will judge the nation who enslaves and oppresses Abram's descendants (v14).
Perhaps it's just a coincidence. But God is very much about matching patterns.

» Blood-Stained Hands

See .. if you are standing there with blood on your hands,
it really doesnt matter at this point .. if you're "sorry."
'Sorry' cuts no judicial mustard here, my friend.

If you have been supporting people with bloody hands,
you will get their bloody 'reward' .. for helping them.
Because you agreed with them .. by your actions.
You agreed with their bloody values.

If the christians of the last generation were to reap what they have sewn ..
.. what would that look like?
It's a valid question, no?

You can bet your ass you'll be sorry.
This is not going to be a good day for you, my friend.
You will be thinking » "This is without a doubt the worst day of my life."

And you will not be able to say, "I didnt know."
He makes a big deal about covering that base.
He goes out of his way to make sure that such an excuse holds no water.

» Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

I can almost hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth now.
You will see what I mean.
Say hi for me.

You will hear him coming before you ever see him.
You will hear the sound of roaring flames .. and that alone will scare you shitless.
You will be wondering, "What kind of creature makes a sound like that?"

Then, when you finally see him, you will be thinking,
"Oh, this cant be good. This guy is literally on fire."
You will see what I mean.
Things will become very clear to you.

It's the most horribly uncomfortable feeling .. where nothing feels right about anything.
And that is as good as it gets for you .. because it only gets worse from there.
And it continues to get worse .. for a long time. A very long time.

You will see what I mean .. probably sooner than you think.
Dont bother sending a postcard.

I know that you cannot fathom such a thing .. but the term "terrifying" .. is actually an understatement.
Dont say you werent warned.
The Torch cometh.

He who refuses .. let him refuse. That's what I always say.

If you insist on continuing down such paths, and you refuse to heed the warnings,
he has no choice but to give your ass up .. and leave you to your own devices.
You'll see what I mean.

» Being Prepared for Life's Crucial Questions

Perhaps I can be of some assistance here.
The first thing he's gonna want to to know is ..
why you are persecuting him.

You might wanna have that answer ready.
You always want to be prepared when life's crucial questions arrive on your doorstep.
That would be my advice.

He who refuses, let him refuse .. that's what I always say.

» How Can They Continue to Drink the Kool-Aid for So Many Years?

Alex Gibney concludes his 2015 documentary titled » Going Clear
by interviewing a number of people who had been in Scientology
for increasingly long lengths of time.

He starts with a lady who had been in for 5 years (if I recall correctly),
and concludes with a guy who had been in for 30 years.

They all say pretty much the same thing » "I cant believe I continued to drink the Kool-Aid for that long."
This 2-hour documentary is subtitled » The Prison of Belief.

These are intelligent people, educated people, well-meaning people, successful people, wealthy people.

While you are watching them tell their story,
you find it difficult to believe that they could have drank the Kool-Aid for so many years.

They themselves seem unable to fathom how they could have continued to drink the Kool-Aid for so long.
Yet, there you have it .. in their own words.
Straight from the horse's mouth .. so to speak.

How can such a thing be possible?
How can so many seemingly intelligent people not see the obvious for so long?
How can they not see something that is so plainly on display .. right there in front of their faces?

» Roger Ailes Departs in Shame as Donald Trump Officially Becomes the Republican Standard Bearer

Speaking of being completely dumbfounded at how so many people cannot see the obvious
when it is staring them right in the face .. I'd just like to say,
"Go fuck yourself, Roger Ailes. I got your family values right here .. in my toilet bowl."

That flushing sound is for you, Roger, you hypoctitical piece of shit.
Say hi to Nixon for me.
I heard that you made Bill Cosby feel jealous.

Do you find it coincidental .. that Roger left on the very same day that Trump was nominated
by the Republicans as their presidential standard bearer?

Because Roger is very much associated with promoting Republican standard bearers,
and their superficial, faux family values
that they tout for others, but dont live by themselves.

These types of seemingly coincidental curiositiies speak to me.
Tho, I am not sure what they are saying.

You know what they say .. a tree is known by its fruit.
What kind of tree produces fruit like this?

I heard that there are at least 20 more such pieces of fruit .. growing on this tree.
That's a lot of fruit .. all growing from the same tree. No?

» Fox has Become a Propaganda Machine for a Destructive and Ethically-Ruinous Administration

If you have done your homework, then you know that Fox "News" began as a propoganda machine
built by Nixon operative Roger Ailes.
I feel confident that Ralph Peters would agree with me here.

They do some news, sure .. but News has never been its primary focus.
In this way, Fox "News" is unlike any of the other traditional news outlets.

It was never intended to be an objective reporting of the news.
Some people do not want to hear objective reporting.
Rather, they want to hear someone flatter their prejudices.

Richard "I'm-Not-a-Crook" Nixon comes with values and priorities that have already been judged and condemned.

This is why Roger Ailes is bad for America.

Photo source. Here, too.

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