Profs have found that it helps cancer’s pain
To take puffs of that old Mary Jane,
And our State says it’s great,
Docs write scrips for our trips,
But what cancer symptoms can I feign?
I scratch my head, wondering what to think, on the eve of another day of primaries. I am weary. Weary of the demagoguery of Donald Trump. Watching the tragedy unfold — fights at rallies, rallies called off, name-calling. “Kasich is a baby,” says Trump on the eve of the Ohio GOP primary, while people applaud the arrogance, the name-calling, the bravado, the nonsense: “We’re going to make America great again!”
We’re talking about the President of the United States of America.
A people’s frustration and anger do not a good president make. To the contrary, they make for division and demagoguery, for brawls in the streets, for the devolution of a nation to its lowest common denominator and the elevation of race, nation, and class as the altars of worship.
It leaves me speechless.
After My Death
(not a poem)
Remove
wedding ring (gold),
Watch (Timex–$35)
Glasses (blended, or reading)
IPhone 6+ (right pants pocket,
or still clutched in hand)
Buck penknife (left pants pocket)
(Wallet, keys, calendar on closet
shelf by front door)
Not to fear touching dead body:
does not look human, all people
turn gray (red, yellow, black,
and white–all the same color
when blood no longer
circulates–equal at the end.)
And all go from warm to cold.
To open phone: xxxx
-Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, March 11, 2016
Gordon’s note: Unfortunately I couldn’t post this in its original format which included indentations. Imagine everything under the bolded print indented and looking like a ski slope \ . We’re all on that downward slope. Some know it more than others. Some deny it. Some face it. Thank you, Steve, for the continuing honesty in the face of death. Honesty has not killed Humor or your continuing witness to an end of racism (“equal at the end”).
Any and all religions are divided between two types. One shouts; the other listens. One makes war in the name of God; the other makes peace in the name of God. One kills its enemies; the other prays for its enemies.
Both types are found within each of the three Abrahamic religions. The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can be interpreted either way. Sections of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament – the Book of Revelation, for instance – lend themselves to interpretations that shout, go off to war, and kill in the name of a warrior God. The same is true of the Qu’ran.
Apocalyptic fear or expectations – end of the world theology – light the fires of fear and hatred.
Richer by Far this morning invites us to pause and ponder the deepest truth about ourselves and others.
“The acceptance of oneself is the essence of the whole moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook on life. That I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ – all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do unto the least of my brethren, that I do unto Christ. But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all the beggars, the most impudent of all the offenders, the very enemy himself – that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness – that I myself am the enemy who must be loved – what then? As a rule, the Christian’s attitude is reversed; there is no longer any question of love or long-suffering; we say to the brother within us ‘Raca,’ and condemn and rage against ourselves. We hide it from the world; we refuse to admit ever having met this least among the lowly in ourselves.” Carl Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul.
Apocalyptic theology of whatever sort ignores the deepest truth about ourselves. Martin Niemoller, the German churchman who resisted Hitler gives the succinct word to ponder.
“It took me a long time to learn that God is not the enemy of my enemies. He is not even the enemy of His enemies.” Martin Niemöller
When asleep I dream I am awake–
Time goes by, I learn that’s a mistake.
I hope when I die
I dream I am alive
I will take that good cake at the wake!
[Brother Dave: please bake your famous carrot cake in memory of that time I ate half of it…]
You may not have been able to make it to the grand opening, but if you live in the area you can get to see the exposition Mondays thru Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Today I’m presenting to you Bob McLain’s “Mil,” with the backstory. Once you’ve enjoyed it, scroll to the end for a reminder of the Sower Gallery’s purpose and location.
Bob McLain Artist Statement
“The human head has intrigued me for many years.
The phrase “The eyes are the windows to the soul” and how moods are created in the look of a person have also fascinated me. Because of this strong interest, I have created a long term study project called “Project Faces.”
This project will include proper proportions of the facial parts from nine positions of the head. I will also create different moods in the…
View original post 412 more words
Today America honors those who have served as Presidents. On Presidents’ Day we remember George Washington’s “I cannot tell a lie” after cutting down the cherry tree, likely an apocryphal tale but one embedded in the minds of American school children of my generation. But then there was also “honest Abe”. We were taught to be like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
We expect much more from a President or a candidate for President, although in recent decades we’ve lowered our expectations. Watergate, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky, and the Iraq War have taken us a far distance from the myths of George and Abe who couldn’t tell a lie.
But the American expectations of a President are not just about truth-telling. They are also about stature, decorum, propriety, decency, wisdom, the ability to hold one’s tongue in sensitive situations. Qualities of character and skill that, if we forget them, lead to cheapening the Office of President to the society’s lowest common denominator. Flash forward to South Carolina, two days before Presidents’ Day, 2016.
“For a number of weeks Ted Cruz has just been telling lies. He lied about Ben Carson in Iowa. He lies about Planned Parenthood and marriage. And he makes things up.” – Sen. Marco Rubio, candidate for President, accusing Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz.
“You are probably worse than Jeb Bush. You [Ted Cruz] are the single biggest liar … This guy will say anything. Nasty guy. Now I know why he doesn’t have one endorsement from any of his colleagues.” – businessman Donald Trump, candidate for President regarding fellow candidates Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush.
“I gotta tell you. This is just crazy, huh? This is just nuts. Okay. Oh, man.” And “these attacks, some of them are personal. I think we’re fixing to lose the election to Hillary Clinton if we don’t stop this.” – Governor John Kasich, candidate for President.
Back when I was a kid at Marple Elementary School, someone would shout the worst thing we could say to each other – “Liar, liar, big fat liar!” Both the accused liar and the accuser would end up in Pop Warfel’s Office for a lecture. Pops was the Principal.
Where’s Pops when we need him? RIP. Thanks for the lesson in civics.
Joshi Daniel’s photograph reminds viewers of the power of inner joy. Thank you, Joshi, for using your extraordinary gift in a way that makes the world a better place.
Old woman with a cherubic smile | Trivandrum, Kerala, India
This charming old lady kept on speaking to me while I took this photo of hers.
The NY Times reports today that “four Republican presidential candidates [Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio] are expected to appear at Bob Jones University, an evangelical institution in Greenville, S.C., for a forum.“
When I was a child no politician would consider – even for a second – seeking the support of Bob Jones, the President of the fundamentalist Bible college named after him. All these years later, Bob Jones and Bob Jones University have become part of what is considered “normal” in America. It’s not normal. I’m sorry. It’s not normal. It’s nuts! See for yourself.
Did I mention…this is nuts?!
Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, Feb. 12, 2016 [at least 54 years before “the Rapture” according to Bob Jones, regarded by his followers as the prophet vested with the “100 Year Prophecy”].
….or call it conservative. Call today’s message what you will….:
“President Obama is ‘strongly considering’ signing an executive order against secret money in elections – and could announce this action as early as this week!
“This executive order is the single biggest thing the President can do on his own to fight back against Citizens United. With the stroke of a pen, he could require companies that have contracts with the federal government — which include a huge number, if not most, of America’s largest corporations — to disclose their political spending.” -People for the American Way (PFAW).
Taking elections back from big money – PACs that allow dark money to hide in secret contributions that sway voters with costly television, internet and print media campaigns – is a conservative or even a regressive (as in, returning to a former state) agenda that restores the electoral process to the people themselves. It’s a progressive idea that restores and conserves the integrity of the Constitution.
I signed on the PFAW petition to President Obama. Constitutionally speaking, I may be right or I may be wrong to support the proposed executive order. But it seems like a no-brainer for anyone who cherishes the idea of a real democratic republic of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Thanks for coming by for two cents worth one.
-Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, Feb. 8, 2016
Views from the Edge 