Monday, July 25, 2011

More Details Emerge on Norway's Fundamentalist Terrorist

More Details Emerge on Norway's Fundamentalist Terrorist


This is the important part of this horrific story. This is the possibilities within the reactive factions of the Christian Right, extremist who become, Judge and Executioner of those 'they' perceive to be a threat to their cultural way of life.

Another Christian Post story has this highlight:

I
n Norway and Sweden extreme Marxist attitudes have become acceptable/everyday while the old-established truths of patriotism and cultural conservatism today are branded as extremism.

Candidly, his complaints against liberal churches sound like the screeds one sees on the website of the far right's so-called Institute for Religion and Democracy. Another example is Robert Knight's recent screed in the Washington Times against gay marriage and "the Obama administration has stepped up its attacks on the moral order." This highlight from the New York Times is also noteworthy:

Thomas Hegghammer, a terrorism specialist at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, said the manifesto bears an eerie resemblance to those of Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders, though from a Christian rather than a Muslim point of view. Like Mr. Breivik's manuscript, the major Al Qaeda declarations have detailed accounts of the Crusades, a pronounced sense of historical grievance and calls for apocalyptic warfare to defeat the religious and cultural enemy.

According to the police, Mr. Breivik first drew security services to central Oslo when he exploded a car bomb outside a 17-story government office building, killing at least seven people. Then he took a public ferry to Utoya Island, where he carried out a remarkably meticulous attack on Norway's current and future political elite. Dressed as a police officer, he announced that he had come to check on the security of the young people who were attending a political summer camp there, many of them the children of members of the governing Labor Party.

He gathered the campers together and for some 90 hellish minutes he coolly and methodically shot them, hunting down those who fled. At least 85 people, some as young as 16, were killed.

Given the constant drumbeat of grievances against gays, liberals, Hispanics, blacks and Muslims being put out by so-called Christian "family values" groups and far right GOP aligned organizations, one can only wonder how many would-be Breiviks are being cultivated here at home in the USA.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

How One Photo Has Changed Hearts and Minds

How One Photo Has Changed Hearts and Minds

This cosmic change reaches further into the people's of the world than we could ever imagine. Kay and I were speaking to a college class for Social Work studies and the Professor is from Japan. She suggested that because the City of New York is an Icon for a great number of foreign citizens, the great number of images of marriages of same-sex partners will speak volumes to our changing cultures and mind set for the lgbt community. If we combine New York's gift of marriage with our military finally repealing 'DADT', will be like a tsunami spreading and reaching into and throughout society's darkest corners.

This wave of recognition for change will push and wash over so many constructs of society that we can only imagine. What will happen is this change will cause serious and overreaction by those who do not want change; who will take their revenge out on those they despise. We can expect to see vicious acts of hate and expressed anger from those who are being pushed to the edges.

Lets pray for peaceful days in the coming months.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

No Anglican Covenant!!



I could say, "Well said", but would that be wrong?

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Telling Secrets: Dead Birds and Debt Ceilings

Telling Secrets: Dead Birds and Debt Ceilings

This is the conversation we all must be involved with, death and debts caused by failure of those who take the power.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Labor Day Concert in Washington, DC


This is just one of the pieces that is to be sung during the Labor Day Concert in Washington DC, at the National Cathedral. An opportunity opened that there was to be a 300 member choir from across the nation, and Valdosta State's Choral Director, Dr Paul Neal is to be one of the invited conductors. For me, this is a chance of a lifetime, as I have never seen the Cathedral and have only been in Washington for a day.

As a lifelong musician, I think this would be the high point in my life. As both an instrumentalist and a vocalist, I have performed in concert hall, parade fields, in local and state festivals and parades. I was in an Army band that backed up Bob Hope many years ago when he gave a benefit performance, I've sung our National Anthem in the "Sun Bowl" stadium at El Paso, Texas for Military Appreciation Day; for about 30,000 people that sunny Saturday afternoon. I was in the military band that greeted the Iranian hostages after they were released and landed in Germany for their first medical checkup.

I have sung in two college operas as a male cast member and I have been cast as one of the nurses in the local production of "South Pacific". As a member of the combined choirs for Valdosta's Symphony, we have sung many major works. But to be able to sing with such a large combined choir in such a historical and magnificent place as the National Cathedral, it would be a great honor and achievement for me as a lifelong musician.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

grape jelly, grown, squeezed and filled in jars.

These are the grapes from a vine I planted 3 years ago and are loaded this summer with small but really sweet grapes. With plenty of grapes on the vine and ripening rather quickly, we couldn't eat them all without some going bad.

Today, we collected 12 cups of grapes and made some grape jelly. 12 cups has made 9 small jelly jars of sweet, pink jelly. Can't wait to try some in the morning.

We have canned and frozen a lot of vegetables so far this summer. But I am giddy that we have been able to use our own grapes, and tomatoes in our jelly and pickled cherry tomatoes. Grapes that I grew in our back yard that are now jars of jelly, is a good feeling.

Friday, July 1, 2011



Ok I just gotta re-post this great video from Susan Russell, Kathy has said it all about this 'Candidate'

Father Geoff Farrow: NOM called out on deception and outright lies

Father Geoff Farrow: NOM called out on deception and outright lies: "Please help out and post this on your facebook page. Thanks!"