Sunday, October 19, 2014

I'm Tired Of Backhanded Compliments About The Pope

They are nothing new.  People wrote about Pope John Paul II the same way.  When he would write or preach to Catholics about some important tenet of Catholicism, inevitably some self important American would act like it was a sign.  A sign that the Catholic Church has found it's way around to their way of thinking.  So smug.  So self-congratulatory.  

It makes me want to retch!

And now it's Pope Francis....

The Pope preaches to the flock to love their fellow man.  How enlightened!  How modern!  

Well guess what?  All those commentators are about as narrow minded as one can get.  The Catholic Church was founded on the words Jesus spoke telling his apostles and followers to treat each other as they themselves would want to be treated.  It's been preached and taught for over 2,000 years.  And all those fat headed opinion writers act like they were miles ahead in this thought.  They disgust me.

The latest is a piece of satire reprinted at the Huffington Post by some ninny named C.J. Tuor.  The title of his crap is "It's Time to Start Ignoring Pope Francis".  Tuor thinks he's so funny, sarcastically pointing out all the "problems" with the Pope expecting Catholics to love homosexuals and feed the poor.  

Oh, my sides are splitting!  Not.

For the record, Catholics were always told to love each other and that while homosexuality was a sin; you hate the sin and love the sinner.  Sorry if that was too much for puny minds to digest.  And if you are gay and you don't like that and you want the Church to embrace your homosexuality, tough.  If you don't like what the Catholic Church teaches, then don't be a Catholic.  It's not a Democracy.  It's not a club.  If you don't like the rules, tough.  If you can't understand it, tough.

The Catholic Church says that if you are not in a State of Grace you can't receive Communion.  If you haven't gone to Confession, you aren't in a State of Grace.  Do you see protests outside Catholic churches where they carry signs demanding Holy Communion for those who think Confession is too much to ask?

The Catholic Church says if you have sex outside of marriage you can't receive Communion.  Do you see protesters carrying banners asking for equal treatment for adulterers?  If you know two people who live together without benefit of marriage, don't they love each other the same as two homosexual men?  But if you're gay, you should be above the rules?  Somehow the same Church that won't recognize two people living together, should make an exception for you if you're both the same sex?

You want to be gay - be gay.  You want to live together, live together.  You want to be two straight people who don't want to get married; have at it.  But if you want to come and tell the Catholic Church to change their rules to recognize your union, get lost. 

For the life of me, I will never understand the people who think it's ok to go picket or protest someone else's religious ceremony.  They'd be the first to scream about "separation  of Church and State" if they saw a creche near a public space.  But I could show you pictures of gay protesters throwing condoms at people leaving the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.  I saw the pictures and nearly lost my mind.  Who the fuck did they think they were to put their views above someone else's right to practice their religion.  Don't fucking talk to me about equality.  You don't know the meaning of the word.

But anyways......I lost myself for a minute there.

Does the author imagine we are missing his digs?  How could  we?  They were too blatant.  Pope Francis tells you to embrace gays.....and the rest of the clergy are just mouth breathers.  For Mr.Tour's information, I was educated by a priest who has been saying such thing to me since I started 1st grade in 1966.  The same priest who called on us to help the poor and pray for those who turned away from Christ for any reason.

I love Pope Francis.  I loved Pope Benedict before him.  I love my pastor. 

The rules of the Catholic Church are the rules.  I don't always live up to them, but you won't catch  me crying that they should make exceptions for my weaknesses.

If you don't want to accept the rules and teachings then go away.  

If someone says that you can't buy a house in a particular neighborhood or join a club because you are gay; I am right beside you.  I will stand with you in that fight, and proudly so.  If someone says you can't have a particular job because you are gay, you fight that fight all the way to the Supreme Court and I am cheering you on.

But your freedom to love who you want and live where you want and have the job you want does not trump my right to exercise my freedom of religion.

And Mr. Tuor can write a hundred sarcastic, self congratulatory articles and it won't make him anything other than a fatheaded jerk.

You are wrong and narrow minded Tuor and a million fatuous barbs aren't going to change that.

Saturday, October 04, 2014

HistoryOfBoston

History of Boston
This is a free online course that will be taught by Professor Robert J. Allison.  He is without a doubt, the perfect choice.  It begins October 20, 2014.  Enroll now!  It's free.

How awesome is this????  It's so awesome, I can't even tell you!  It's the total answer to my Jeopardy complaints.

The front page of the website explains why you should enroll.


THE IMPORTANCE OF BOSTON

Boston is the birthplace of the American idea of democracy. The Boston town meeting, where each citizen has a voice, set the stage for the American Revolution. In the early days of American history, the people living in the small towns of New England had more power of self-government than anyone else in the British empire.
After the Revolution, this ethic of local control led to the creation of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the oldest functioning written constitution in the world, which separates powers to create a “government of laws and not of men.”
In the 19th century, a key part of Boston History was its place as global hub of trade and transportation. Its clipper ships set sail across the globe to China, Europe and South America.
Boston was also the center of the American industrial revolution. Boston capital financed the mills of Lawrence and Lowell. The Merrimack River Valley was the most industrialized place in the western hemisphere, and the wealth generated by the mills enriched Boston, allowing for the creation of the city’s cultural and educational institutions at a time when Boston was considered the “Athens of America.”

Billie Holiday Sings My Theme Song

This is my answer to everyone from now on.  It might sound strange, but there have been some people whose judgement I took to heart.  But I am done.  If you hear that I did something that you think is foolish or reckless.....my answer is "Who cares what you think?  Not me."

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Jeopardy! What? What!

So I did not watch tonight's episode in real time.  I was making dinner.  But I am quite sure, down here in Virginia, I heard a faint screaming coming from the north around 7:45pm tonight.

After dinner was ready, I sat down and hit play.

It happened during Double Jeopardy! while I was finishing off my homemade meatballs and spaghetti.

The category was "American Revolutionaries".  The first question:
"DR. JOSEPH WARREN, A MASSACHUSETTS STATESMAN, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO DIE IN THIS WAR, IN THIS JUNE 17,1775 BATTLE"
Buzz "What is Lexington?"  What????
Buzz "What is Con Cord?"  Is he ordering grape juice?  There is a town in Massachusetts called "Conkid", but, yeah, no, that's not the answer.
3rd contestant - shrug.

Then a few questions later, after I have swept up the hair I have torn out, the second to last clue in the "American Revolutionaries" category is revealed.  It's the second "Daily Double" and the "shrugger" had the helm.  I guess that's when you felt that worldwide rumble as the entire US Navy, past and present groaned.
"UNEMPLOYED WHEN THE REVOLUTION BEGAN, HE WAS HIRED TO OUTFIT THE FRIGATE ALFRED"
Now, I know you're all rolling your eyes and saying "Come on, Maggie!  You can't expect everyone to know this answer."  And yeah, you're right.  Sadly, I can't expect everyone to know the answer.  But we should expect them to know what the answer is NOT......"What is George Washington?"

I have agita!  Last clue was about "The Swamp Fox".  I just said "Forget it Alex, they're not getting that."