Bush and His Religion: "We Can't Be Stopped"

"Once A Religion Takes Over In A Society, It Can't Be Stopped"

So spoke George Bush to Bob Costas in his NBC interview at the Olympics. He didn't say "Once Religion Takes Over" but "Once A Religion Takes Over." Does GWB know anything we don't? Is Pat Robertson going to take over China?

Of course, to Bush, Buddhism doesn't count as a religion (it's precepts are waaaay beyond his comprehension). As we stated before, only 4% of China's population is "Christian." Of course, Bush said other very stupid things during the interview, but this phrase struck me as some kind of warning to China: "Our missionaries are terrorists - they're armed and dangerous. They're going to convert you and you'll stay converted!" In other words, missionaries aren't just "holy rollers", they're "holy steamrollers."

Bush may be a Recontrustionist after all.

Just a thought.

The Diplomatic Dimwit Has Struck Again! And in a Chinese Church!!

Bush's Idea For Diplomacy and Peace in the Middle East

Is Bush Positioning Us For A War With China?

I've had to take some time off from the Blog, but I just had to get this little bit in. Honestly, the incredible ineptitude of Bush's foray into "diplomacy" is absolutely outrageous!

"Laura and I just had the great joy and privilege of worshipping here in Beijing, China," he said as parishioners exited to "Onward Christian Soldiers." "You know, it just goes to show that God is universal, and God is love, and no state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion."

China allows worship only in officially approved churches such as the one Bush visited with his wife, so millions of people pray privately in house churches to avoid detection. The Chinese government has bristled at Bush's prodding as pointless meddling.

The guy can't read, he can't write, he can't string two intelligible sentences together. The sheer audacity of criticizing a host country during the Olympic Games makes him look like one terrible pun: a Bullshitter in a China Shop. First of all, "Onward Christian Soldiers" - bad choice of hymns. He's militaristic in every way, even when he goes to church.

"God" is not universal. Spirituality may be, his interpretation of God is DEFINITELY NOT UNIVERSAL. "God is love." But Bush's God is NOT love. It's oil. It's big business. Sounding like a late 60's hippie is not going to cover the fact that the Christian concept of a God of love and compassion has never entered Bush's brain.

The Chinese don't fear the influence of a loving religion, just one that wants a theocracy. Bush's clerical cohorts hide behind Christianity as a "loving" religion while hurling hate-filled Bible verses as if they were guided missiles. China hasn't heard such hate speech since Mao.

While the "official" stance on religion is atheistic, Buddhism is definitely predominant and Christianity falls into a minority group. So, Bush's statements actually excluded most of China, taking in only about 4% of the population. He got his buzz-words mixed up again.

Bush is stuck in his fantasy world where "freedom" "democracy" "God" "liberty" are universal truths. They may be, but certainly not in a warm-fuzzy-family-apple-pie way. This is a universal truth:

China owns us.
Don't insult your owner.

Just a thought.

On The Midnight Train to Georgia: Religious Tension As Thick As The Tanks!

Typical Orthodox Church in South Ossetia

As A Religious Stew, It May Be TOO Spicy!

Oh boy, the Christian Right has a conundrum on its hands: evil, secularist Russia is fighting for the separatist South Ossetians of Georgia. Why? Because 90% of South Ossetians are Russian (i.e. citizens with Russian passports) Got that? O.K. Now, the religious mix of Georgians is so pluralistic as to border on the bizarre: besides Georgian Orthodox there are Armenian Christians, Jews, Protestants, Catholics and Muslims (!!) And in the recent past, some of the violence in Georgia has been religion-based.

Wikipedia:

According to the Constitution of Georgia, religious institutions are separate from government and every citizen has the right of religion. However, most of the population of Georgia (82%) practices Orthodox Christianity and Georgian Orthodox Church is an influential institution in the country.

Religious minorities of Georgia include Russian Orthodox (2%), Armenian Christians (3.9%), Muslims (9.9%), Roman Catholics (0.8%), as well as sizeable Jewish Communities and various Protestant minorities.

Despite the long history of religious harmony in Georgia, there have been several instances of religious discrimination in the past decade, such as the Vasil Mkalavishvili Case.*

So, here we have a break-away country - South Ossetia - being supported by traditionally areligious Russia (the religious majority of which is Russian Orthodox), against Georgia which has 10% Muslims, and an amalgam of Christian communities which, of late, have been discriminated against.

Oh my! What's a Right Wing Christofascist to do?

Answer: STAY OUT OF IT!

John McCain wants to scream at Russia and Obama cautions restraint.

Ben Smith of Politico.com pegged it right:

This conflict is an echo of the Cold War, and the two are in postures familiar from that era: McCain thinks the Russians will respond only to strength and threats; Obama puts more stock in diplomacy and nuance.

"Duh, what's a 'nuance'? Sounds kinda foreign to me!" says your friendly local Right Wingnut. I have prayed that Obama would have an opportunity to show us that he is more of a diplomat than McCain and here it is, kids. The difference is clear: McCain believes in "cowboy diplomacy" and Obama puts stock in real diplomacy. The approach to foreign policy: McCain will take an aggressive posture and in the case of Iraq, will want us to stay in Iraq, even if the Iraqi government doesn't want us there.

*Human Rights Watch Memorandum to the U.S. Government on Religious Violence in the Republic of Georgia August 29, 2001

The victims are primarily Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentacostalists, Baptists, and members of the Assembly of God, also known in Georgia as "non-traditional" worshippers. The evidence indicates that many of the attacks have been led or organized by Vasili Mkalavishvili, a priest from Tbilisi who has been deposed by the Georgian Orthodox Church, and his followers. Religious violence is now also perpetrated by people who have no apparent connection with Mkalavishvili, including members of nationalist organizations, church clergy, and those who are simply neighbors of so-called non-traditional congregants.

The War on Tabloid Trash Escalates!

It's One Thing To Read Them,
But Another Thing to Actually Believe Them!

My favorite tabloid headline:

Bigfoot's Baby Found Abandoned On The Grounds Of Neverland Ranch!

Yes, I bought it just for the endless amusement it would engender, but today I saw another one of those "Brave Last Days" headline (this one about Annette Funicello) and became angry: what kind of person photographs someone against their will and in terrible circumstances and sells it to a weekly publication? And what kind of publication would print it?

Years ago, comedienne Carol Burnett sued The National Enquirer for falsely stating that she was drunk at a particular party. She won the suit and donated the damages to charity. That's class. Burnett took a stand and, to my knowledge, was never mentioned in The National Enquirer again.

Today, Elizabeth Edwards also took a stand against the tabloids. Again, the offending tabloid was The National Enquirer. Implying that her husband John Edwards could be having an affair would be one thing, but publishing blurry photographs and stating that he fathered a "love child" without actual evidence is another. If possible, I wish that a fund would be collected to help Elizabeth Edwards sue The National Enquirer - and ruin them in the process.

Yes, that's a completely bad-assed tone coming from me, but I can no longer stand in line at the supermarket and see those ridiculous headlines. All I can think of is that the people who purchase them and believe them in any way don't have lives of their own to live.

I know, paparazzi and second-rate editors have to eat. I just wish they didn't have to do it based on the misery of celebrities. Remember who led Princess Diana to her death. Just a thought.

They are BOTH tabloid victims!

Obama and the Strange Backlash of White Supremacists

"He'd Be A Visual Aid"

By The Associated Press
08.08.2008 9:01am EDT

(Pearl, Miss.) They’re not exactly rooting for Barack Obama, but prominent white supremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if he becomes the first black president. His election, they say, would trigger a backlash - whites rising up, a revolution of sorts - that they think is long overdue.

He’d be a “visual aid,” says former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, in trying to bring others around to their view that whites have lost control of America. Obama’s election, says another, would jar whites into action, writing letters, handing out pamphlets rather than sitting around complaining.

And already people are lining up for assassination attempts:

By Jennifer Vanasco
08.08.2008 9:00am EDT

(Miami, Fla.) A man who authorities said was keeping weapons and military-style gear in his hotel room and car appeared in court Thursday on charges he threatened to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Raymond Hunter Geisel, 22, was arrested by the Secret Service on Saturday in Miami and was ordered held at Miami’s downtown detention center without bail.

A Secret Service affidavit charges that Geisel made the threat during a training class for bail bondsmen in Miami in late July. According to someone else in the 48-member class, Geisel allegedly referred to Obama with a racial epithet and continued, “If he gets elected, I’ll assassinate him myself.”

So the reasoning is...vote for Obama so you can assassinate him. Kinda makes you wish George Bush was black.

Sorry, I got carried away with the sentiment.

The article from AP continues to state that White Supremacists aren't really considered a threat to the nation because there are, at most, 200,000 of them. But 200,000 people with guns could mean a LOT of VERY dead people.

Just a thought.





When I saw this, I shook my head in agreement so much, it nearly fell off!

What Every Child Wants

Charles
Originally uploaded by chelseafb

I'm sure a Charles Manson doll is on every child's wish list for Christmas. (If it isn't, then they must be something every mother dreams about: normal). On Aug. 8, actress Sharon Tate and friends were killed by Manson's cult followers.

Just shows you what a pair of wild eyes can do!

To Pat Robertson: Hey Pat! China Has More Money Than God! You Should Be Salivating, Not Stereotyping!

It's A Televangelist's Wet Dream For Crissakes!

On the February 7, 2007 edition of The 700 Club, Robertson stated that people who have too much plastic surgery "got the eyes like they're Oriental" and stretched his eyelids in a manner stereotypical of Asians.

Let's hope people have very short memories and that most of China doesn't know how degrading Robertson's actions were.

With the Olympics looming, people are scrutinizing China as never before. Especially in the area of religion. The formal Communist government stance might be atheistic, but polls of the people themselves show quite a different China:

According to a 2006 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, 31% of the Chinese public considers religion to be very or somewhat important in their lives, compared with only 11% who say religion is not at all important. When asked a somewhat different question in a 2005 Pew Research poll, an even greater percentage of the Chinese public (56%) considered religion to be very or somewhat important in their lives. Other survey data, as well as Chinese government reports, have also shown that relatively large numbers of the Chinese public consider religion to be important in their lives.

There are five recognized religions by the state, namely Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

a survey taken by Shanghai University found that 31.4% of people above the age of 16, or about 300 million people, considered themselves religious. The survey also found that the major religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity, accounting for 67.4 percent of believers. About 200 million people are Buddhists, Taoists or worshippers of legendary figures such as the Dragon King and God of Fortune, accounting for 66.1 per cent of all believers, while Christianity accounted for 12% of believers, or 40 million people. The official China Daily called the Shanghai professors' research "the country's first major survey on religious beliefs". The Chinese government have accepted these new numbers.

CBNNews.com (Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network)- President Bush plans to promote human rights, including freedom of worship, while in China for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games.

The President, a devout Christian, will also attend church, a top aide said Wednesday.

'When he goes to church on Sunday (Aug. 10) he will make a statement afterwards in which he discusses his view on religious freedom in China,' said Dennis Wilder, national security council director of Asian Affairs.

Pat better pray that Bush doesn't screw up too badly: from the looks of it, China may have more little old ladies in nursing homes than he can imagine! In the meantime, Pat had better start leg-pressing elephants again to get in shape for China's "Pulpit Pimp Olympics".

He'll have to train to "Go for the Gold." 40 million people, Pat! And it can't be too hard to yank away some of those infidels from the arms of a mamby-pamby religion like Buddhism! "The 700 Club" could become "The 70 million Club" in no time!

Of course, Robertson will have to contend with Islamic terrorists and Papists, but he has back-up missionaries: John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Ken Copeland, Franklin Graham and Benny Hinn!

But he better start cultivating all of those potential televangelist viewers soon. I hear Jan Crouch has been applying makeup that makes her look more "oriental."