Update 1: Now I am offended. And more than a little pissed off. It’s like we don’t live in the same country.
Benediction at Obama 's inauguration, Rev. Joseph Lowery: 'Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen'
What the hell? What the HELL? How am I supposed to spin that so I’m not being called an oppressive racist? There is no way…
Update 2: Should you expect anything less?
The crowd packed on the west side of the Capitol grounds serenaded President Bush in mocking fashion when he took to the inaugural stage alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.
“Nah nah nah nah, hey hey, good-bye,” a section of the crowd chanted.
The crowd packed immediately below the podium received Bush in stony silence when he took his seat on the stage surrounding the podium where Barack Obama was scheduled to take the oath office to become the 44th president of the United States.
The jeers are among the final public feedback Bush will receive as president.
Update 3: Should the post below demoralize you too much, feel free to peruse this happy little tidbit of shite.
Ok, so that was mean. Let’s look at the counterpoint by Liz Peek at the Fox Forum:
Whoa there America– take a deep breath. As impressed as we all are with the significance of this moment — we are about to inaugurate the first African American President of the United States –– it is possible that our collective giddiness will lead to the worst kind of disappointment. President-elect Barack Obama is being breathlessly compared to FDR, JFK, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. So far — he has won an election.
Even Obama is hyperventilating. In Sunday’s speech, he said “I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States will endure.” Endure? Did he think the country might actually go out of business? Merge with France? Sell out to Wal-Mart? That we might decide that Citigroup was too frail, Iraq too complex and our waistlines too bulging to carry on? What did he mean?
******Now, on to the posting…*******
My co-worker’s e:mail to me was so emphatic and on-point I had to post it. The start of the video linked below has this insipid inspiring image:
Compare to…
In my co-worker’s e:mail pasted below, the bolded and italicized emphasis is my addition.
I heard this “pledge” on the radio this morning and almost drove into a bridge abutment. Eventually, I calmed down enough that I could drive again without screaming in fury every half mile or so. If you must watch the video, please make sure you haven’t eaten anything in the last six hours unless you feel the need for an inspection of the contents of your digestive tract.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/breitbart/2009/01/19/where-were-you-celebrities-after-911/
The total hypocrisy of these people would be absurd if it weren’t so completely offensive at the same time. They want to “be a better father”, “conserve energy”, and, apparently, relax their personal hygiene habits now. If they feel so strongly about it now, why the hell weren’t they doing this before? What, was George Bush personally coming over to their houses and flushing the toilet or something?
Suddenly, all these Hollywood celebrities are proud of America and want to come back into the fold instead of spitting on pictures of the president and burning flags, just because a different president got elected. Did that suddenly change the whole composition of the country? Did Obama’s election flip a little toggle switch in everyone’s brain from “conservative monster” to “liberal puppy-kitten-fairy-playtime” or something? If so, my switch must be stuck.
A couple of the “pledges” toward the end were what almost made me ditch the car in fury. “I pledge to be of service to Barrack Obama,” and “I pledge to be a servant to our president…” Excuse me, but WHAT?! Apparently, some people in Hollywood need a lesson in American Government. Last time I checked, the government was supposed to serve us, not the other way around.
By the way, I am glad to see that Ashton Kutcher is pledging to “always represent my country with pride, dignity, and honesty.” I guess it’s never to late to stop being a douchebag, but to judge from this video, he’s off to a slow start.
More later…
Oh, cripes…. I am so glad I don’t have TV. I couldn’t take it. I spent an hour in a restaurant yesterday w/CNN and couldn’t digest. It was awful. Wonder if any of those idiots were proud the other day over the stunning work by the pilots, crew & rescue workers after the US Airways set-down in the Hudson? I know I was.
Aw, look at the bright side, ‘felix… it’s only four more years, right? Or eight if we’re not so lucky. It’ll go by like… eight years.
Nope… actors are only proud of their poopy and those that agree with their poopies. Proud of pilots? Only if the pilot had previously gushed over the actor or endorsed their movies.
You don’t have TV? My GOD. Are you ok? Does it hurt? Should we take up a collection? Turn your head and cough. Don’t go towards the light. Keep your feet up and drink lots of liquids.
There are five shows I watch – House, Burn Notice, Battlestar Galactica, Dirty Jobs, and Eureka. How it’s Made and History Channel are good edjumakashunal stuff now and then.
The only tv I have been watching is either HGTV and the food channel. Occasionally a stoopid obama commercial comes on and I have to mute it.
Last night, the daughter and I watched Prince Caspian. Very good movie, LK (ditto on Chronicles of Narnia). I hope you have it for when your ankle biters are a tad bigger. The talking animals are great, the story line fabulous, but some of the violence and the White Witch might be a bit much for little ones.
Very unnerving that we are in a similar battle and our side doesn’t appear it is doing well. No leadership. We are blowing the horn for the Kings and Queens of old, but noone is home…….on the other hand, the Kings and Queens of old are trying to be heard, but the people are not at home.
Tonight we will watch something else.
When I spoke of priests at weasel’s merging with the left, I meant this –
*mind the gap*
http ://aardvarks.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/slow-as-the-mollasses-in-january/#comment-3973
What would you do?
You know, not having a t.v. could be a good thing. But I said that to my husband and he looked at me like I said something in a foreign language.
Unless you have cable and can get a food channel or 24 hour marathons of Leave it to Beaver, there is nothing on t.v. but crap. When the local news talks nation or international stuff, they just repeat what the AP spews. Crap.
I think all right-thinking people in this country are sick and tired of being told that ordinary, decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired! I’m certainly not! And I’m sick and tired of being told that I am.
pnb, even with cable, tv is crap. There are, as I said, just a very few channels out of 200 that are worth anything at all. Well, the music channels are good, which we’re using more and more.
I loved Narnia, haven’t seen Caspian, and can’t wait until girl-head is old enough to see them w/ me. I’m the movie buff in the family and she’s getting to be one, too.
I’ll read the article later tonight and think on it some. It’ll be a late response-post.
Enas, are you smoking kitty litter again? How you been?!? Besides laid up, being all sick and tired and all…
Ha! I had to interject a bit of the ol’ Monty Python lunacy Lemur King. Sometimes it seems as if we’re living inside one of their sketches doesn’t it?
I tried to pay as little attention to this coronation as possible but from what I’ve read this thing was an absolute disgrace. I never dreamed that this country would ever elect someone worse than Clinton, but we clearly have. Feh.
That link isn’t exactly an article. It is a mini-rant about why the priest at our church pissed me off…which encompasses the church since he represents.
pnb – in response to your rant and the query “What would you do?” (I was tempted to be a smartass and say “WWJD?” but you deserve a real answer)
I’ve had a lot of cause to re-think WHY I think the things I do. I’ve spent a lot of time asking where the stance came from and applying the litmus test of “Can it be biblically supported?”
A great deal actually cannot and are extensions of the behavior modification business our churches have gotten into.
As a side-track I’ll throw out an example and move on. I used to be rabid homophobic. As it turns out, some of my closest and dearest friends – who I truly would die for – are gay/lesbian. I still cannot joyfully endorse their lifestyle but it’s just not my place to do anything other than love ’em. Changing people is God’s business, not mine. I have no business trying effect change in anybody unless they ask me to help – such as a one-on-one personal accountability or to lend an ear. Put another way, where in the bible does it say that it is my place to police these people? We will be accountable to God with Jesus as our witness and advocate.
Where there is no grey area is in protection of innocents. My own childhood – we won’t go into details – has wired me to be rabidly protective of those who cannot protect themselves. So when a pastor or priest supports those who equivocate and allow as how it is really a “choice”, then I’m stuck with the fact that this person condones murder “under the right circumstances”. So I support your stance that (in my words) the priest is a POS and that any group saying “choice” is a necessary evil are without biblical foundation.
Note that yes, I am delineating different modes of handling church leaders and individuals on a one-on-one basis. They are two entirely different things. One has the power to do incredible amounts of damage and to do it for a long period of time. The others are in a personal relationship with you or have a limited sphere of influence, relatively speaking.
As for political information in church flyers, that comes close to negating church qualifications for 501c3 tax exemption if you list information in a way that tends to support one candidate over another. It’s a big grey area that opportunistic arseholes are all too willing to pounce upon in their quest to give religion a black eye.
Here is my ultimate stance – and feel free to disagree and I won’t be offended if you promise to not get offended in return…
… as soon as the pastor/minister/priest says one thing that is not strictly word-of-God they have missed the boat. They don’t need to be telling people how to apply it, how to change their lives, dictating what a “good” Christian’s walk looks like, telling humorous anecdotes that say more than what is in the bible… they’ve missed the boat.
Our services and works should be an outward sign of our spiritual growth and not used as a marker, badge, goal, membership agreement, etc. Our compassion stemming from a profound growth that comes from within (effected by God, mind you) will lead us to want to perform charitable acts – it is a natural extension of the unnatural condition of the human spirit, that of loving your neighbor.
There are all too many Christians who have not one iota of genuine altruism who do huge amounts of charity work because that is the expectation. Wrong boat again.
To come full circle and answer your question… giving obscene amounts of money to a political entity is so far off the mark that it isn’t even wrong.