A
U.S. special operations commander has ordered files about the raid and
assassination of Osama Bin Laden sent to the CIA and purged from Defense
Dept. records appearing to have bypassed federal rules and possibly the
U.S. Freedom of Information Act. A CIA spokesman said it is "absolutely
false" that records were moved to the CIA to avoid the legal
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The records transfer was
part of an effort to protect the names of the personnel involved in the
raid, according to the inspector general's draft report. Moving those
records did allow the Pentagon to tell The Associated Press that it
couldn't find any documents inside the Defense Department when the
latter had requested them more than two years ago, and would represent a
new strategy for the U.S. government to shield even its most sensitive
activities from public scrutiny. (Thanks to
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/08/19353473-pentagon-secretly-moved-bin-laden-raid-files-to-keep-them-from-public?lite)
I
could be wrong, and I certainly am no lawyer, but it seems to me that
in the George Zimmerman murder trial, some of the defense's arguments
are just plain missing the point. If Trayvon Martin actually texted
someone in the past about purchasing a weapon, does that mean he
deserved to die?
If Trayvon Martin actually had traces of
marijuana in his system, does that mean he deserved to die? If Trayvon
Martin was on top of George Zimmerman at some point in the scuffle, does
that mean he deserved to die? George Zimmerman was intentionally
following Trayvon Martin for a period of time. When the two finally
clashed, Trayvon Martin actually put up a fight. Does that mean Trayvon
Martin deserved to die?
In many photos of George
Zimmerman, he appears to be introspective to the point of remorse. The
entire situation was most certainly unfortunate, to say the least.
Maybe the prosecution was overzealous in seeking a second-degree murder
charge?
And without a doubt in my mind, Florida's
'Stand Your Ground' (or as I prefer 'The Cowboy Law') is one of the most
stupid laws of which I have EVER heard!
(from The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic by John Shelby Spong)
". . . How difficult it is for religious people to embrace an unbounded God. We have through our history sought to define God as a particular being, albeit one possessing supernatural power. With God defined as a being, we then had to locate God in a place. Ultimately that place was thought to be somewhere above the sky in a three-tiered universe. Then we had to build for this God earthly dwelling places that we called "houses of worship."
Next, we began to assert that God's very words were captured in the words of our sacred scriptures. Then we convinced ourselves that God's very nature could be defined in our creeds, doctrines and dogmas. We then built mythologies around each of these human creations, assuring ourselves that God was content to live within our developed theological and liturgical limits.
When these "sacred idols" began to be destroyed by the expansion of human knowledge, we acted as if God had died. The God who lived above the sky was rendered homeless when we began to embrace the infinity of space; yet we continued to address God as "our Father who art in heaven." Next, the scriptures, which we once thought of as God's literal words, began to be understood as tribal tales and as human interpretations; but when we read then in public worship, we still asserted that "this is the word of the Lord." Then the creeds, the doctrines and the dogmas-which, we asserted, had captured God's revelation-began to be understood as political and cultural compromises; but we, in our fear, had in the past invested these human forms with such authority that those who questioned them were burned at the stake as heretics, and we claimed the word "orthodox" for our own human formulations. . ."
(from http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/05/19304066-white-house-hails-june-jobs-report-gop-searches-for-flaws?lite)
".
. . According to the latest jobs report, the US economy added 195,000
jobs in June and the unemployment rate holds at 7.6 percent...The
unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.6 percent, though the report
was highlighted by the jobs figure, which outpaced most forecasters’
estimates...the report on Friday offered a modest political boon to
President Barack Obama. Despite dire warnings about the effect of the
ongoing sequester – the automatic, indiscriminate cuts to federal
spending that were enacted earlier this year – the economy continues to
add jobs, though not at the type of robust pace that would be needed to
further reduce the unemployment rate.
But Republicans
seized on some indicators of persistent economic weakness in the jobs
report, namely a surge in part-time workers reflected in the statistics,
and an uptick in the U-6 unemployment rate from 13.8 percent in May to
14.3 percent in June. The U-6 rate is a broader measure of unemployment,
which includes discouraged workers and the underemployed.
“There’s
some good news in this report, but economic growth is still tepid, the
unemployment rate is far too high, and the president continues to
promote policies that undermine robust job creation,” said House Speaker
John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a statement..."
This
is the kind of bull-pucky that our 'friends' in the media provide
daily; a recent article about 'The American Dream', chock full of what
they produce best - NOTHING!!!
This little gem begins
by reminding us that we too can achieve success. Then they promptly
tell us the definition of success, "The big home in the suburbs, the
luxury cars in the garage, the kids off to a good college and the
retirement in a sunny locale." Funny how Merriam-Webster views success
in more spiritual, less-tawdry and materialistic terms as "favorable or
desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence".
From the stock, bullshit 'American Dream' teaser and
half-assed success definitions, this fine piece of writing moves on to
another constantly and frequently misrepresented concept, the economy,
and says that the weak job market is thwarting the best efforts of good
honest folk (like you and me) to 'get ahead', by which I PRESUME they
mean attain the aforementioned (theirs, not Merriam-Webster's)
'success'. Now I'm not unrealistic or particularly cold-hearted about
the job situation and the difficulties some people are currently
experiencing with employment and lack thereof. But somehow I think that
our journalistic scribes are providing us with third-grade-level
oversimplifications of the situation.
The particular
tome that provoked my ire went on to, in short, states that although
many present-day citizens truly believe that Americans all have an
equal ability to achieve success if they merely (and that's a BIG
merely) work hard. It does not venture (at least I did not detect it)
into any possibility that there exist many additional factors in
education, employment, the economy and geography that exert substantial
influence in the seeking, achievement and maintenance of something
called success.
The best, and most intellectually
substantial, part of the article was a quote from the academic world
that, in summary, stated possibly Americans need to rethink the
definition of the American Dream, putting less focus on having a huge
house and lots of cars and more focus on building successful
communities. Whiles supporting our families is certainly important, “we
need to scale back what the American Dream means to us.”
And
may I add, we must be more critical of what we read in the news and not
be so childishly willing to accept everything in print as true and
factual.
O - C - E - A - N C - I - T-Y
O - C - E - A - N C - I - T-Y
On your mark get set
Disconnect that internet
Every girl and boy
Breathing in the joy
Not a care at last
Sit outside and bask
In rays of summer's bliss
Crabs and fish and shells
Feel your tension spell
Fries and pizza pie
Smiles won't be denied
Everything is cool
in 2 1 8 4 2
Feel the sparkle in your eyes
Catch a wave and ride
Cars and motorbikes
Bikini babes in the sand
Vibin' to rockin' bands
Ocean City
From Memorial to Labor Day
We beckon you to play
To a boardwalk beat
Miles and miles of beach
Your memories to take
Currents dance and sway
leave your footprints in the sand
Fireworks at night
Give your love a kiss
Sail and fish the sea
Here life is a beach
in Ocean City
Now is the time that's right
For you only live once
Time does drag when it's all work and no fun
The ocean gateway calls you
Sport your shorts and shades
It's so divine to dine at life's buffet
It's almost heaven and
There's so much more we can say
Catch a wave and ride
Cool cars and motorbikes
Bikinis on the sand
Dance to rockin' bands
Ocean City
(from http://www.today.com/entertainment/mick-jaggers-hair-sells-6-000-auction-6C10547234)
An anonymous buyer snapped up a lock of Mick Jagger's hair for $6,000
after bidders pushed the price to double its pre-sale estimate, auction
house Bonhams said. The clump of hair was sold by the Rolling
Stone's former girlfriend Chrissie Shrimpton, who is also the sister of
1960s English model Jean Shrimpton and first met Jagger when he was
still an unknown student at the London School of Economics. The
hair, which comes in an envelope bearing the message "Mick Jagger's
hair after being washed + trimmed by Chris at Rose Hill Farm," was sold
on Wednesday to raise money for the Changing Faces charity, which
works with people who have suffered facial disfigurements.
