Here are the best photos from my trip to South Carolina. The best ones will be toward the end. First off, some images of me.
This week's Friday Link we revisit Jelle's Marble League, about the only sport today that doesn't make me pull my hair out!
In case you don't remember, last year, when the Corona Virus was at full speed, all the sports leagues shut down out of safety. This left many people who lived for sports desperate for any competition. What I found, and posted last year in a Friday Link, was Jelle's Marble League, which not only fulfilled the empty void of sports, it actually was better than most sports leagues in many different ways.
What really makes this sports league great is Greg Woods, the sensational play by play guy they have who adds the perfect amount of excitement to these competitions.
With the Olympics ending three weeks ago, the Twins sucking, the Vikings looking like they will suck and the likelihood most Minnesota sports teams will be horrible all year round, enjoy the sports league which actually makes you like competition again.
Four of this years events for you. Catch the rest up on YouTube!
There is a game promo at the beginning of the first three events posted here.
Let's go to the Fair...well maybe not in person this year.
After the Minnesota State Fair decided to only encourage face mask wearing, and to not mandate it, and decided not to have a vaccine mandate for all fair goers, many people changed their mind and said "maybe we'll pass on attending this year's Minnesota State Fair," which begins next Thursday in Falcon Heights, just north of St. Paul. Not only is the Fair a mess of people in a non pandemic year, but you already know plenty of people will take the State Fair's stance as 'validation' there's nothing to worry about, heading to the fairgrounds with zero regard for anyone but themselves.
I guarantee many sick people, both knowingly and unknowingly, will attend the Fair. My guess is you'll see the super spreader event begin before the end of the Fair on Labor Day.
Sigh...
I'm not going. I might make a weekday morning run on a rainy day to get certain favorite foods and bring them back home, but 30 minutes tops, and only when the place is relatively empty. And that is a BIG if.
For this weeks link, a few Fair videos for you. Starting off with a KARE 11 bit on the history of the Fair.
Are you ready for it? Seriously, you'd better brace yourself for the Republicans of Minnesota and this country to give you whiplash with the argument they'll be trying to make all next year during the mid term election cycle.
Republicans in 2022 - "Where did you EVER get the idea we were against vaccines, masks and common sense pandemic safety measures?"
I don't know...in Minnesota, a few weeks after the Republican Senate majority Leader and the House minority leader demanded the state reopen on the Minnesota Capitol steps as we began to see the worst spike in COVID cases, Sen. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka decided to have a celebration party after the MNGOP held the MN Senate, a celebration which did not follow pandemic safety protocol (they seem to have purposely dismissed safety procedures) did not include mask wearing and did not include social distancing, and did indeed turn into a CoronaVirus super spreader event, likely killing one of their own Senators. And THEN they returned to work in the MN Senate and NEVER TOLD THE DEMOCRATS IN THE CHAMBER THEY WERE WORKING WITH A BUNCH OF SICK PEOPLE!!!
Thank God the GOP is not in charge of this state.
Since June, I've noticed most Republicans have started to try to soften their rhetoric in regards to vaccines and Corona Virus safety measures. Most of them now are openly saying they encourage people to get the vaccine, and follow safety protocols. But they falsely try to paint this as a 'personal choice' issue, generally followed by their own contradicting advice, dismissing their safety language. This is clearly paving the road so they can try to scream away their real behavior in 2022 when people point out their complete message, something many Republicans eagerly will want the voters to forget.
NEVER FORGET, even if a Republican was talking common sense about getting vaccinated and following safety protocols, they usually followed it up with one of the following five messages which INTENTIONALLY undermined their message:
1) "Sure you can wear a mask and socially distant, but unlike THOSE sacred wussies cowering in fear in their basements, I'm not afraid of the world!" They have said this for the last year. Only recently have some Republicans dropped the language. Still there are many who continue to push this fake "we're not scared" mantra.
2) "They want you to wear masks but our kids can't breathe!" If your kid can't breath though a simple mask, you probably want to get them checked out at the hospital, as preexisting breathing conditions are a major contributor to sever COVID cases. They're only using the 'what about ht children' tone to scare people into agreeing with them.
3) It's REALLY hollow to say you are for vaccines and masks now when for a year and a half the Republicans of this country have been screaming "Reopen Everything!" In many states they have reopened, and the Delta Variant of the Corona Virus is predictably spiraling out of control. After you give the villagers the plague, it's an empty gesture to then say the dying masses "make sure to wash you hands!"
4) The amount of Republican politicians who will try to argue 'I was for vaccines and masks' by insisting an individual can make a personal choice about both, but then go out of their way to prevent cities, counties, schools and public institutions for instituting mask and vaccine policies. It takes a real horrible person to go out of their way to make sure people are less safe. The entities who want to install these mask and vaccine requirements are people who will be held accountable by their local jurisdictions/voters, but because Republicans know the local voters will go along with them, they try to stop them from doing what they think is best. IT's very similar to outstate Republicans trying to stop the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul from installing a higher minimum wage (How dare they!). It's terrifying how many people Republicans have likely killed with their policies during this pandemic.
5) "FREEDOM!!!" The pageantry and theatrics Republicans embrace to undermine their own message on COVID safety usually culminates with some sort argument they are super patriotic, not willing to sacrifice their freedoms for anyone. A minor inconvenience for the safety and benefit of all, INCLUDING YOURSELF, is not a violation of your freedoms. And Patriotism means caring for your fellow countryman and woman, NOT engaging in selfish behavior where you demand the world give you what you want. That's just pathetic, and anti Christian too!
The real wild card in 2022 is the Minnesota media. Many of them will allow the Republicans to completly rewrite their legacy and act as if they've always been for vaccines and masks. If I'm the Minnesota DFL, I'm finding EVERY Republican house members/statewide race candidates comments about both vaccines and masks and preparing targeted ads which will blanket the state. If they want try to rewrite their legacy on COVID 19 as anything but dangerous and deadly, then they should have their own words thrown back in their faces.
For the Friday Link this week I want to revisit a group of men who were my heroes, the First Minnesota at Gettysburg.
I've often stated the Minnesotans who died that day saved the Union, and they did! It cost them most of their unit, but for five minutes of pure hell and glory they held back a FAR larger Confederate force (for five minutes!!!) and saved the field for the Union. They knew exactly what they were headed for, and they never even flinched.
This clip is actually from the position on the field where the First Minnesota made their great sacrifice. I tear up every time I think about what those Minnesotans did.
A brief history lesson. In late January of 1933, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, but his Nazi Party did not have the majority of the seats in the Reichstag (the German Legislature) at the time. Hitler called for a new parliamentary election, which was scheduled for early March of 1933. Hitler's goal was to get a full majority in the Reichstag and abolish Democracy through legal channels. The election strategy was to target the Communist Party seats which would then give Hitler the ability to do whatever he wanted in regards to Legislation, even dissolving Democracy.
Then the Reichstag was burned to the ground.
The fire happened the evening of February 27th. There's a fairly consistent consensus that Marinus Van der Lubbe, a communist extremist, acted alone in the arson, but even immediately after the fire, critics in England and the United States (remember when every decent person in this country used to HATE the Nazis?) became skeptical of the incredible luck Hitler and the Nazi's had with such an attack. The day after the fire, the Reichstag Fire Decree was signed, basically removing most Germans civil liberties. Where the March election still didn't give Hitler the 2/3rd's majority he needed for the Enabling Act, the one piece of legislation which gave Hitler all power in Germany, between the continued post fire extreme fear mongering of Communists, and with many member of the Social Democratic Party (the only party who could actually stop Hitler) being arrested to prevent them from showing up for the vote, the Enabling Act passed and...well, we know the rest.
There are a few strong pieces of evidence that the fire was an inside job by the Nazis. A history teacher I had in Germany for a college class on the subject mentioned the election prior to the fire was not looking like it would go the Nazi's way, and there was a real chance the Communists would pick up seats, costing Hitler his majority. There was also sworn testimony, certified in 1955, from a former SA unit member who said he was tasked with getting Van der Lubbe to the Reichstag, AND the building was already on fire when they arrived. And in 1943, Herman Göring was openly bragging about setting the fires himself.
The goal for Hitler and the Nazi's was to take over Germany by getting control of the Legislature and shutting it down. They tried to win on normal election methods, but when that failed, they used the attack on the Legislature to install Hitler as Dictator. Goodbye German democracy.
Over the last four years, I've written about the concern people have had about a self centered, mentally compromised, ego maniac who is clearly only on this planet for self gratification becoming President of the United States. When Trump won in 2016, buoyed by a Republican Party where "owning the Liberals" was the only thing that matter, something Trump played like a fiddle, I (in stunned disbelief) really started to ask how flexible the US Government system really was and if it could survive a President who wanted to install himself as leader for life.
After reviewing the timeline of events from Trump and the White House between the Election Day 2020 and 1/6, after the litany of books being released on the subject over the last few weeks, to the shocking reveal by the Department of Justice that Trump seems to have tried to order them to delegitimize the election adding "...just say the election was corrupt, leave the rest to me and R Congressmen," it's time we call what happened what it really was.
Donald Trump and his Republican Allies in his Administration, as well as certain Republicans in Congress, tried to overthrow a legitimate election and (in turn) overthrow Democracy itself.
Let me repeat that:
Donald Trump and his Allies in his Administration, as well as certain Republicans in Congress, certain political activists, and various right wing/pro-fascism/racist organizations tried to overthrow the legitimate election of 2020, and (in turn) overthrow Democracy itself.
Make no mistake, this would have been the end of the American experiment as we know it. You can't do what they clearly were trying to do and then ever expect to walk the country back into Democracy. Once you cheat on such an obscene level to win, when it looks like you're about to lose again, you'll shrug your shoulders and take the cheating path every time.
We came closer than I ever imagined to watching the USA fall. If Vice President Pence would've caved on his responsibility, this would've been a huge mess. Instead he followed the Constitution and ended up running for his life as Trump turned the mob against him. For God's sake Trump’s mob was screaming to "Hang Mike Pence!"
If not for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not exactly the most liberal group, who held the line by telling Trump point blank we will not deploy US troops against our own Citizens. It sounds as if our military leaders had made a pact to be the last stop against the fall of American Democracy, but the White House was undeniably testing the barrier.
And it should be noted just enough Republicans, the ones whose names would've been the ultimate decision makers in certain states, the ones who would've been the defendants called into court to explain their treasonous decisions if they went along with Trump, found enough courage to say "No, I am not going to be part of this."
If not for those three groups of people, goodbye America.
This is why everyone who was complacent with this travesty is now desperately trying to rewrite what happened as harmless fun. It wasn't. It was an attempted overthrow of Democracy, thankfully attempted by the dumbest people in the country.
I was in the US Army. If I was on a guard post, and a person was trying to crawl through a smashed in window to get at a member of my chain of command [2 Points: 1) Speaker Pelosi is the 3rd most powerful person in American Democracy, hence she is actually in the Chain of Command, and 2) Ashli Babbitt was not trying to deliver a well worded list of demands to the Speaker. She was a terrorist; a traitor to the country looking to attack and likely physically harm the Speaker.] I would've dropped her, without even thinking about it.
The reality is Trump and his supporters are a small minority of this country. We need to hold them accountable and make sure we turn everyone involved in the attack on our country on 1/6 into the villains they truly are.
For the Friday Link this week, I want to look back on a movie from long ago, Gold Diggers of 1933.
I was reminded of this film when I visited with the MST3K and RiffTrax host Bill Corbett earlier this week on my radio show. He was talking about how much he has enjoyed looking back at the classic movies over the last year and this is definitely one of them. The scope of this Hollywood musical is amazing.
When I started watching this film, I had no idea how great it was, nor how many great songs came from the film.
I did find the the tribute to the WWI soldiers at the end to be quite wonderful, and sobering. Not the ending I was expecting from this film.
Here are a few clips for you to enjoy. I do highly recommend the whole film. Let's start with a Ginger Rogers classic.
I've truly loved watching the Tokyo Olympics. To be fair, I still question the judgement of them having the games during a pandemic, but watching athletes compete for this country reminds me of one of the things that is great about the United States.
But you hear a very different story coming from the Republican Right today. Athletes showing their personal feelings about politics, racial injustice and social issues has so infuriated many Republicans, the party of Reagan has taken to openly rooting against their own country out of spite. Shame on those whose patriotism is so bare thread thin that they eagerly abandon it when that patriotism is deserved and demanded by a person who has spent their life working to represent the USA on the international stage, but doesn't wear a MAGA hat. If you do so, you can never judge my patriotism, or anyone else's, ever again.
Here are some of my favorite moments from the first week of the games, starting with St. Paul's Suni Lee stepping into an incredibly stressful situation and winning gold in the all around gymnastic final!
Let’s take an inventory of all the things we’ve learned from the 1/6 Commission (and the Commission’s repercussions) in the first 24 Hours(!) of said Commission.
You probably didn’t know any of this if you only watch and view Right leaning media (well outside of the coordinated attacks on the officers by the Fox News talking heads). The media that is trying to prevent you from hearing the truth is not on the Left.
Exhausted because I have had unexpected craziness.
With the Olympics beginning, let's look at some of the best moments from the Olympics over the last few years. Enjoy.
This week we head to Antartica!
I love my wife and kids, and I love living in Minnesota and being a radio host, but I have to be honest. If I was offered a 3 or 6 month tour to Antartica, I would do it in a heartbeat!
Antartica is really the last great wilderness on the planet. Mostly untamed, it would present an opportunity to say you had gone and worked someplace really unique. I'm also amazed at the trip it takes to get there; as small as our world is, it takes a lot of effort and time to get there.
And no matter what job a person would have down there, you would be in some way helping one of the greatest scientific communities ever assembled. I might not be a scientist in any of the major fields of desire for Antartica, but everyone there, from the cooks to the mechanics to the cleaning people, EVERYONE is part of one of the most dedicated scientific communities you'll ever see. You're doing something important there, and that's wildly appealing.
It also seems to be apparent that most of the people who do go work in a support role in Antartica come from NASA to work on small engine repair, come from a 5 Star restaurant to make pizza, or deliver their Master's Thesis to take a job scrubbing bathrooms. So far no call back on my application...
PBS' Nova went there and sent back some great videos on life in Antartica. My bags are packed and ready to go when needed!
Howdy all!
I want to preface this Friday Link with a note. This week's post isn't about shaming people's diets. I have three kids and there are plenty of nights I've had to grab something convenient for dinner and run with it. My kids ate mac and cheese, hot dogs, occasional fast food and pizza.
I'll add my family made the decision to try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and to try to make as much of our food as possible. While for many people that sounds simple, that is freaking expensive. Many people eat convenience food not only for ease and schedule sanity, but because much of it is the most affordable food out there.
Do what you like, and be happy. This is more informational than anything else. I think these videos stuck with me because with my recent health crisis, I've been on a bit of a restrictive diet. One of the biggest things I had to reduce was processed foods.
The BBC put out a series on the rise of eating processed foods in England, but I think this is pretty close to how many people in the United States eat too. It's amazing to see how processed foods have infiltrated most people's diets, but let's start there. What makes a processed food, processed?
Next up, now that we know what makes processed foods processed, how much has a diet changed over the last few decades? Is it really that bad? Once again this is the UK, but I think it translates directly to what's been going on in this country.
It's the weekend of Independence Day and I hope you are able to enjoy. Considering most of the state is a fire waiting to happen, I'd suggest holding off on fireworks, but my guess is my pleas won't be heard over them. Please be careful and enjoy the 4th!
I'm mailing it in this weekend, as I'm still recovering from my medical issues. Making my life easy, and your life funnier, by going to one of my favorites, RiffTrax.
This short on 'Patriotism' from RiffTrax is brand new, sensational and (my guess) was court ordered for 'Hogan's Heroes' Bob Crane. Mike, Kevin and Bill (He's the cool one!) make you laugh. Isn't THAT America!
We are well into the season of summertime celebrations, community get togethers which occur over the weekends in big cities and small towns across Minnesota. If you haven't enjoyed one, especially some of the adorable small town celebrations, I highly encourage a road trip. Explore Minnesota has a full rundown of festivals and events across Minnesota all summer long.
Sadly, there's another unfortunate tradition which will occur across the state this Independence Day weekend and throughout the summer. While the United States' Stars and Stripes is by far the most common flag you will see across the state, occasionally you'll witness the flying of the Confederate flag as well, the flag of the enemy of the United States, an insurrectionist army which attacked the United States in an effort to continue slavery as a way of life.
Let me be very clear. As a veteran of the US Army, I do understand the 1st Amendment, and if you so choose to express your Freedom of Speech by flying that flag, that's your right. I won't respect you, but I do respect your right to display the flag of an enemy of the United States (fact). I'll proudly be flying the Stars and Stripes. The point of this note is to express my concern over official vehicles (fire trucks, police cars, vehicles carrying local elected officials) which seem to pop up in some of these community celebrations/parades, proudly displaying the flag of the Confederacy.
In Minnesota, this is especially a heinous act when you look back at the bravery and sacrifice of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg on July 2nd, 1863.
Although this post is about to become a history lesson, this isn't about debating critical race theory, or whether we should even mention the traditional Native American name for Fort Snelling (Bdote, which is cool!). This isn't about revisiting a white-centric cultural hero, like Columbus, whose undeniable negative checklist far outweighs his contributions. This is about whether the same people who claim to be proud Minnesotans can claim to be so if they embrace the flag of the Confederacy, and in turn ignore the near immeasurable sacrifice of the 1st Minnesota.
In the late afternoon of July 2nd, 1863, little more than five years after Minnesota had become a state, the Union had a major hole in its line on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. The 2nd day of fighting had been brutal with the Confederacy looking to end the war once and for all by overrunning the Union line. As the Union troops were trying desperately to hold the hill, a major hole opened up and near 1200 southern troops marched forward. The only unit which could stop them was the grossly outnumbered 1st Minnesota. They had 262 men.
They never hesitated. The 1st Minnesota charged into the fray. The chaos and insanity which unfolded in the next few minutes is hard to comprehend. Within five minutes, 215 of the 262 men of the 1st Minnesota fell. When the soldier carrying the Minnesota colors was killed, another dropped their weapon and grabbed the flag. Five times that happened IN FIVE MINUTES. Minnesota's brave, courageous and desperate sacrifice held until reinforcements arrived. The 82% casualty rate still stands as the US Army's largest loss of life of any unit which still stood at the end of the battle. Minnesota's colors never were captured, and are on display at the Capitol in the rotunda. Most important, the Union line held for the day.
In case I'm burying the lead, Minnesota saved the Union from the traitorous Confederates on July 2nd 1863. That's not just an opinion. Major General Hancock who had ordered the 1st Minnesota into the Confederate line considered them to be entitled to the rank of "saviors of their country." Minnesota has a large memorial in Gettysburg describing their sacrifice. I wept openly in its shadow.
There are a few books dedicated to that pivotal moment at Gettysburg, and that pivotal moment of the Civil War, which I encourage you to read. I don't do the 1st Minnesota the justice they deserve.
When I've seen a Confederate flag on an official vehicle or on an official display at a Minnesota festival, I don't go and try to rip in down. I don't scream about how the people who put it up are racist. I simply ask if the people flying the flag know anything about the 1st Minnesota. They always say no. I then inform them of whose side they are taking by flying the Confederate flag, usually as they clearly get more and more uncomfortable with their decisions.
Now that you know about the 1st Minnesota's history, it's up to Minnesotans to determine if flying the Confederate flag is appropriate (although I can argue flying it around the United State's Independence Day seems misguided). If you do fly a Confederate Flag in an official capacity in Minnesota, then do not tell me you're a proud Minnesotan. A proud Minnesotan would know their history and would always put the 1st Minnesota First, well ahead of the enemies of Minnesota and the United States.
Although I had a bit of a health scare, I did manage to make it out and take a few photos this year. Here are some of the better flower photographs I took fro the first half of 2021.
This week we salute Conan O'Brien as he ends is run on Conan on TBS.
He is an absolutely hilarious host and deserved FAR more stardom than he got.
Conan's predicament was once David Letterman was no longer in Jay Leno's sights, Conan became the latest victim of that guy's massive ego. Leno leaves the Tonight Show, Conan takes over in summer of 2009 (which was a very entertaining run, albeit for 6 months). As Leno immediately regretted his decision, the gears started to undermine Conan. This was something Howard Stern warned him about three years before Leno unceremoniously replaced Conan.
Conan was never given a chance, Leno brought his beige version of the show back. Rumor has it NBC told him when they decided to make the change to Fallon that he was told in no uncertain terms it was over. Didn't help Conan, but Leno exposing his own pettiness damaged him greatly.
But Conan is Conan and he has so many great bits from the last 11 years on Conan at TBS. My hands down favorite bit is Clueless Gamer, which I have posted on the Friday Link before. I love this because I’m Conan on this game. Gamer friends try to get me to play a game, it becomes a joke and I ask what's the point.
Here's the best of Clueless Gamer segments. ***Warning, Bad Language and Adult themes!***
Howdy all.
We start today with the loss of Frank Bonner, aka Herb Tarlek the sales manager of WKRP in Cincinnati. The actor passed away on Wednesday.
I've posted a few times about this show over the years, and I always say the same thing. Whomever wrote WKRP in Cincinnati worked extensively in radio, because myself and pretty much every other radio person I've ever worked with knows those characters extensively. While Venus, Johnny Fever, Jennifer, Bailey, Andy and The Big Guy all are really familiar, the two most iconic characters were Les Nessman the newsman and Bonner's Herb.
Herb Tarlek was such a great character. The show is dated with some inappropriate language for today, but his character represented late 70's early 80's smarmy salesman so well. A lot of great episodes featured Herb, but an underrated gem is the late first season episode Fish Story. Basically it involves the station mascot (Herb in a WKRP Carp suit) fighting with the radio station mascot from WPIG (by the way, pay toilets!). I did have to help break up a fight between two radio station mascots in Iowa one time. Like I said, very real!
This is a quick behind the scene feature which talks about how they really didn't want to do this episode, but it became a huge hit. Enjoy. God speed Frank.
Also this week is the return of The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper as he got to interview Mike Lindell (the my pillow guy) as he was doing his...rally(?) in Wisconsin. Klepper's point about how Lindell's claims are exactly like a Bigfoot show (There was no evidence this week, but if you turn in next week, MAYBE they'll see one then!) is so freaking perfect!
It was so good that Lindell, a man who never met a camera he wouldn't try to hog for as long as possible stormed off. Beautiful!
Have a great weekend everyone!
PLEASE get vaccinated! Stay healthy, stay safe!
Let me begin by saying HOW DARE YOU! Seriously! As your pews empty, as your congregations shrink, you once again take a religion that's supposed to be based on peace, love, welcoming, and understanding and turn it into a weapon of hate, to help your PERSONAL political motivations over the teachings of Jesus and God. You are heretics, you are fools, and you are wrong.
If you're wondering what this is all about, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, lured and seduced by political power waved at them from Republican politicians who want to turn Catholicism in the United States into a conservative political litmus test, have decided to personally attack Joe Biden by trying to write rules to prevent the President from receiving communion in church. Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, and attends church regularly, more since any president since Carter, but that's moot. The Bishops are out to persecute him. We see right through these 'Bishops of Hate' at their true motivation for what they are doing. It about PERSONAL political power.
My disclaimer: I'm Catholic. You do, or don't do, whatever it is you do or don't want to do.
My family is Catholic. My wife and I married in the church, going through the Catholic training, and we renewed our vows there too. My three kids were baptized in the church, have all had their first communion, and two of the three have been confirmed. We've gone through Sunday school and church camps. We were regular attendees of service, going at least 40 weeks a year. We attend a more liberal church and I love it. I've been to fire and brimstone churches, but I'm not a big fan of leaving a service with a list of people I'm supposed to hate in the name of Jesus. I've served on church committees and have volunteered.
For the record, I'm against abortion. That's a personal decision and one every individual should make for themselves. My faith tells me we are all judged by our own actions on this planet, so I can't point to someone else and say "they told me to do that." Make your own decision, as that is your choice to make. I wrote about my personal feelings almost 5 years ago right here: Abortion
It's been a rough few decades for the Catholic Church. The child sex abuse scandal which reached across the globe was deplorable, evil, unacceptable and heart breaking. I saw the church attendance cut in half. No one can blame the parishioners who left. Slowly a few came back, but the numbers still have not recovered from that disgrace, and nor should they. If you're wanting to praise the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for attacking Joe Biden, you are also praising many of the same people who were in leadership positions within the church when the child sex scandal occurred, and some of them likely knew. Many leaders within the church enabled the abusers FOR DECADES. You want to make them heroes, that's on you.
What the USCCB is saying is that since Catholic teachings state abortion is wrong, that Joe Biden, as a Catholic President, MUST be the most anti-abortion President ever. If he doesn't force his Catholic views on all people, including all non-Catholics and non-Christians, then he's enabling abortion and should not receive the communion.
Anti-abortion policy is a Catholic teaching, and depending on the zealot's interpretation, even goes as far to say, 'what a blessing babies conceived from rape and incest are.' The reality is the Bible is a mixed bag when it comes to abortion. Sure, there are a lot of passages that back up life, undeniably, BUT there are passages which seem to go the other way too. (quick side note: There are a lot of Catholic leaders who will say "you need to follow this passage verbatim" when a passage backs up their point of view, but when it's a passage which doesn't, the next lines are "let me tell you what they meant." FYI). Number 5:11-31 outlines a conversation between the Lord and Moses which gives 'how to' instructions on having an abortion. Exodus 21:22-23 originally only referred to the health of the pregnant woman, not the baby/fetus at all, only having been reinterpreted in recent years by political opportunists, and Psalm 137:9 is pretty straight forward. The Bible is also chock full of stores where pregnant women, babies and kids are violently killed! When you think about Noah, you always think of a boat with animals, not all the pregnant women, fetuses, babies and kids God killed with the flood (It's true!). But there's also one other slight problem with anti-abortion teachings in the church...
Jesus never once condemned abortion. Not once.
I know these Catholic Bishops will say the entire Bible and all Biblical teachings are sacred (well the ones the church allowed to be taught) but the reality is what makes Christians and Catholics 'Christians and Catholics' is the story of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the story of Jesus, from birth to resurrection, and at no point in the four Gospels does Jesus ever state "Abortion is wrong never do it!' It's not like abortion wasn't a practice back then. It was. It's not like Jesus doesn't give a lot of other direct commands. He did. He never condemned it. That's a fact.
The USCCB has decided to boil the Catholic faith down to one sin, and use that as a condemnation stick. Once again, my church is telling me who to hate, who to shun, who to dismiss, who to marginalize, who to segregate, who to demonize and, by proxy, who to vote for in political elections. No thank you!
And let's just cut through your fake veil of righteousness. The USCCB have snuggled up to the most loathsome of people, including Trump, a man who is straight out of Biblical villainy. Whenever anyone in the Catholic Church embraces a far-right conservative politician, they are GLEEFULLY snuggling up to people who have ripped the Gospel of Matthew from their Bible. You remember Matthew 25: 35-45:
You tell me what is a bigger sin USCCB, realizing your political office goes beyond your own personal religious beliefs and allowing individuals to make their own choices in life, or a group of self-serving Bishops who have allowed major teaching of Jesus himself to be thrown out, eagerly bastardizing their own faith, because they want to be welcomed into the far-right political club for personal power?
When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to feed the hungry, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to give water to the thirsty, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly (Flint, Michigan anyone?). When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to clothe the needy, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to help the sick or visit prisoners, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly. When was the last time you said "If a politician doesn't do everything within their own power to WELCOME IN STRANGERS, they cannot receive communion"? Jesus told us to do so, directly!!!
USCCB, don't you dare call anyone else a 'cafeteria Catholic' when you are the ones, AS SUPPOSED LEADERS IN THE CHURCH, pick and choose what teachings of Jesus to ignore or downplay. You're the ones with the compromised morality. And let's also admit the truth. Joe Biden could cave to every one of your demands and you still wouldn't embrace him. You'd find some other made up outrage to lean upon because this has nothing to do with religion, only politics, and the political power you individually crave.
With all apologies to the more reasonable and educated leaders within the Catholic Church who I've enjoyed guidance from, including Pope Francis, I can no longer take this constant betrayal. Consider this my official resignation from the Catholic Church. I'm taking my monthly donation too! I will not be part of this organization if this is what EVIL people are determined to turn it into. There are too many other churches who are not looking to weaponize Jesus.
And what should scare the USCCB is this reality. I'm not going to be the only person saying this today. I guarantee the Catholic Church just lost a lot of parishioners. And another truth, it's not like your actions are going to even register a blip on new attendance to your 'masses of persecution.' But you don't care, USCCB. This was always only about you.
Goodbye.
Slow and steady wins the race! This week my health is slowly starting to recover, but because I'm taking it slow, and recovering, my focus is mainly on that. I'll get back to the blog soon. I promise.
This weeks Friday Link has three very different clips. We'll start with the US verses Mexico final of the CONCACAF Championship, and epic game which was a nail biter until the end. This is a Spanish language broadcast. Go to 12:10 in the video. The US, up by 3-2, had a handball in the box late in the 2nd overtime. The pure joy the Mexican broadcast team had at the delivery of the ensuing penalty kick was crushed when the US goalie blocked the tying goal, eventually leading the US winning the game.
USA! USA! USA! Epic game.
Howdy! I'm back from a fairly serious health crisis. I'm feeling better, and thanks to all the nurses, doctors, support staff and volunteers at Methodist Hospital who took care of me. It will take a few months but I should be back to normal before long.
This week's list of videos are just some of the ones I found over the last two weeks that made me laugh. Seriously, this was tough at times, so you appreciate a good sincere laugh.
First up might be the best video I've seen in awhile. I think that dog and cat are regretting a lot.
Hi all! I hope you are well. I'm still trying to recover from a health issue. I have a bad feeling this will take awhile.
Let's start the Friday Link with a story which I'm shocked is not a FAR larger story. UFO's are real! I'm not talking about a wild rant from the weird haired dude from the History Channel who thinks everything that ever happened was 'Aliens!' I'm talking credible witnesses and copious evidence.
60 Minutes did a great story on this. To be fair, this might not be aliens, but rather technology from another country which far exceeds ours (which is terrifying on a different level) but the way these pilots talk about it, they're clearly saying what we are saying; Aliens!
We start off the Friday Link this week with a fond memory.
On the radio show today I recalled the old Poodle Club in south Minneapolis. It was where we would go hang out when I went to Brown Radio School, which at that time was down on Lake Street. Although much more of an adult establishment, it got me recollecting on other lost places from my past.
I remember (vaguely) going to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor as a kid to celebrate my birthday. I'm pretty sure it was over by Southdale, but I couldn't find any franchise information about the location over there. It was a throwback ice cream parlor which featured the Mount Everest of ice cream treats for a kid, The Zoo. It had a bunch of cool plastic animals and pretty much every ice cream and topping they had.
When I saw this piece on You Tube from Life in America, I distinctly remember being in the restaurant at some point. I also remember the piano playing ragtime music. Fond memories of the history we've lost.
I've had a bad week.
It started with my hip surgery getting cancelled at the last second, to having to figure out a diagnosis for the serious health problem which was VERY serious.
Today I'm exhausted. Nothing wakes you up from your complacent slumber faster than a serious health problem.
That being said, I'm glad it's Friday and I have a lot to look forward to this weekend.
Tonight my videos come in two varieties. Informercials and Korean Street Food!
I love informercials! The way they can convince you to buy a crap product you do not need is amazing. I had the chance to watch a lot of them while I was in the hospital this week. Late night TV is plastered with them.
But some of the products actually work and are REALLY good products. Watch Mojo has a list of the 10 best Informercial products ever made, and I'll admit, I have two of them. Also look for my friend Nancy Nelson show up hosting in the #1 Informercial! I love her so!
