Sacrilege Sunday
Obama and Graham, 4.25.10She swore, in faith 'twas strange,
'twas passing strange ;
'Twas pitiful. 'twas wondrous pitiful
--Othello, Shakespeare
Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things
--Proverbs 23:33
But baby, I am not your deceiver
or your eloquent liar
Your jealous heart is tearing us apart,
turning love to ashes
--Walking Through the Fire,
Mary Chapin Carpenter
________________
Forgive me, but the AP coverage of Saturday's deadly tornadoes in the Southeast is rhetorically fascinating, if only for the head alone -- "Saviors as tornado hit: A table, a wall, a freezer" -- for surely turning inanimate objects into saviors is akin to Jesus's turning the water into wine.
Ron Sullivan, owner of Sullivan's Crossroads Grocery, said, "I was levitated and flew 15 feet over there to the back wall." Levitation is a supernatural activity. Only "Some jars of pickled eggs and pigs' feet" survived -- what can one make of such wondrous happenings?
Gov. Haley Barbour said the twister wreaked "utter obliteration"; I can't imagine another kind, can you? Meteorologist Jered Allen in Jackson, Mississippi, referred to the enormity of the storm, thereby imparting a malevolent nature to the beast.
Dale Thrasher, 60, survived under the communion table at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Today, a member Yazoo City church was said to have found amidst the debris a hymnal opened to the song, "Till the Storm Passes By." Not to be outdone, at the Hillcrest Baptist church, "about three dozen members stood in a circle and sang 'Till the Storm Passes By'."
The report ends explaining that Hillcrest is a survivor. "They rebuilt after their building was destroyed by arson about 10 years ago.
"The Lord brought us through the fire, and brought us back bigger and better," Thrasher said. "The Lord will bring us back bigger and better this time, if we stick together."
The AP is giving us a message: We may be down, but not for the count. This, too, shall pass. Ain't no jobs, but boy howdy we're gonna call it a recovery. We're prayin' on it.
The AP also reported today that President Obama concluded his vacation with a "pilgrimage" Sunday to Billy Graham's mountainside home in Montreat, N.C.
"Billy Graham's son Franklin said. 'When the president got ready to leave, the president prayed for my father, my father prayed for him.'
"Graham said his father prayed for the nation and that God would give Obama wisdom in his decisions. The president prayed to thank God for Billy Graham's life, Franklin Graham said."
I do not appreciate biblical overlays on meteorological happenings. I also did not know that U.S. presidents made pilgrimages to ministers -- did you?
posted by Lisa at 4:50 PM
22 Comments:
so, the inference i read is that god doesn't like us pochos so he earfquakeded us.
cool.
I don't know. We have been supporting Israel since before I was born. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Some of my best friends have been Mossad agents. Or maybe I'm just watching too much NCIS. But anyhow. It's a shame they can't just do a 'Back to Arabia' movement. I know that you have a right to be there, but seriously - Israel isn't going to give an inch. Wouldn't it be better to live in Riyadh than where you're at? One way tickets to Saudi-Arabia. That's how they roll.
MB,
I believe you're getting AP's riff.
But y'know, Mr. Graham, being as he's in N.C., should know that the Mexicans are building that state, and doing a good job of it.
You'd think he could be praying for Monterrey earthquake victims ...
i don't have probs with people making this connection. after all, God is all things as some of us see it. And to think we only perceive a fraction of it. Sometimes, when things are all screwed up, one needs to take solace in the belief that it's all part of something bigger, which it is. Whether you believe it's a 'being' as some of us imagine it or not, there are much much bigger things than us little humans. In the end, we are only left with each other and our beliefs for consolation on this little planet. For we are all what we can somewhat comprehend. God has made his play. How will we repay? The rules are clear, mother nature and physics gives us examples everyday. Will we help each other despite our minor differences, or will we find every little reason to justify our callousness towards one another? FYI I've been noticing biblical overlays as well, but to me they seem extremely ironic and purposely absurd. I'm not religious, but my folks are and they're amazing, extremely giving, compassionate people. This current anti-religious they're-to-stupid-to-get-our-mocking ultra-modern-cool-wave is making me sick. Especially when all these assholes have to offer is a bunch of synthetic-multi-media-fusion-i-heart-peace-through-not-thinking-about-it bullshit.
Disclaimer: **THIS PIECE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ISRAEL **
bUT R.T. says,
"Israel isn't going to give an inch."
After Israel withdrew all settlers from Gaza in 2005, the area became a "Hamas statelet and a base for continuous rocket fire against Israeli citizens." Douglas Feith in NRO says the main impediments to peace are the Palestinians.
The P.A. "lacks authority" since it's involved in a power struggle with the terrorist fanatics of Hamas, and even so-called moderates continue to deny Israel's right to exist.
Anon,
I hope it's not me you think is mocking and ultra-modern-cool-wave.
I just want some news, sans the wondrous pigs feet. This is an AP report, not a church bulletin. Is nothing sacrosanct anymore?
Next I know, they'll be casting runes in place of meteorology (which would probably do as well, anyway.)
Israel: they will need to start integrating Palestinians en masse. Not sure how they will decide who gets in, but to me all this expansion is a set-up for integration. Their major mistake is in thinking they can limit Israeli casualties by making it so miserable in "Palestine" that those who get in will be so grateful that all thoughts of revenge will vanish or at least go unrealized. In any case, this needs to happen soon before technology becomes a viable instrument of the "little people".
No Lisa. I wasn't lashing out at you, and even if you were one of those a--holes, this is the place to do it. I totally agree that News is not to be a used as a marketing vehicle. Unfortunately, my observations are indicating to me that a darker specter is possible. They're taking impartiality to mean "please everyone" and if you can mock and get away with it, the better, cuz it'll please your nihilistic friends as well. They're writing articles in such a way that play on everybody's prejudices and predilections at the same time. It's basically all becoming popularity whoring with no thought to the psychological ramifications. If you're brave enough stare into the abyss of social media, you'll see this is what we are becoming. It's just that being around these new yuppies almost everyday, I can feel the cynicism in the words. They "never have been tempted by demon or a god". Maybe i've lost my mind, but that's what i see.
No..not THIS Billy Graham?
March 12, 2002
When Billy Graham Planned
To Kill One Million People
By Alexander Cockburn
There's a piquant contrast in the press coverage across the decades of Billy Graham's various private dealings with Nixon, as displayed on the tapes gradually released from the National Archive or disclosed from Nixon's papers. I'll come shortly to the recent flap over Graham and Nixon's closet palaverings about the Jews, but first let's visit another interaction between the great evangelist and his commander in chief Back in April, l989 a Graham memo to Nixon was made public. It took the form of a secret letter from Graham, dated April 15, 1969, drafted after Graham met in Bangkok with missionaries from Vietnam. These men of God said that if the peace talks in Paris were to fail, Nixon should step up the war and bomb the dikes. Such an act, Graham wrote excitedly, "could overnight destroy the economy of North Vietnam".
Graham lent his imprimatur to this recommendation. Thus the preacher was advocating a policy to the US Commander in Chief that on Nixon's own estimate would have killed a million people. The German high commissioner in occupied Holland, Seyss-Inquart, was sentenced to death at Nuremberg for breaching dikes in Holland in World War Two. (His execution did not deter the USAF from destroying the Toksan dam in North Korea, in 1953, thus deliberately wrecking the system that irrigated 75 per cent of North Korea's rice farms.)"
For the rest of the Article see: COUNTERPUNCH...add title....
There it is.
Deryle
This is where we should bow to the wisdom of the Iranian ruling council and president whaz his face. Don't let Karma get in the way of Dogma. Give Ireland back to the Irish. Don't make them have to take it away. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Rum. Look out Bitchez cause here I come. You're my witness, I'm your Mutineer. Why did we lose six million Jews? Remember they are God's chosen people. I don't mock what you went through. But I'm here to tell you. LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Tell me. What was it that happened in 1967? Seriously! - Was this prime piece of real estate vacant in 1948?
Hi Lisa,
That's the news for this evening. Weather Rune-cast at 11.
Oh, you are too funny! I like that you pay attention to words and their meanings. Your lips should move if you're reading carefully enough.
Dave
R.T.
***Again, NOTHING TO DO W/ ISRAEL***
but, per this:
"Was this prime piece of real estate vacant in 1948?"
I dunno how primo it was pre-'48, but as per the occupants, how 'bout say, 300 BCE? 200 CE?
When does the statute of limitations run out? Sticky wicket.
UC,
Glad you like :)
Words matter.
Deryle,
I have heard that B.G. in his latter days has refused to label Muslims the devil's religion (though his son takes up the slack.) For that bit of allowance -- that we indeed might all be God's children, I am appreciative.
But here's a fetching tidbit:
In the early '60's BG strode into the newsroom at the Miami Herald where my mother worked, and, not knowing who he was, she observed his appearance and demeanor and determined him to be a used car salesman, only later finding out who he was.
Both professions share similar traits, I s'ppose.
my favorite BG story happened when i was doing a tour with the righteous brothers (bill medley and bobby hatfield were great fun to work with).
we were in the VIP lounge of some airport in one of the square states, you know, the ones in the middle that all look the fucking same and have tornadoes and shit.
we're there, minding our own business, and in walks billy graham and his entourage. he doesn't say hello, how are ya, or do any pleasantries, he just launches into a tirade at the top of his fucking lungs about how bobby and bill shouldn't be calling themselves the righteous brothers because even a casual glance would tell folks with any sense that they weren't righteous at all, just the opposite.
dude goes on and on and on and on and on, getting all red in his face (to match his neck i figure).
finally he stops to gasp a breath or two, and without a sideways glance, bobby says:
well, i never liked your goddamn crackers neither.
MB,
Brilliant story! I love Bobby's retort.
I also love the double entendre of the "square states" ... one still can't find whole grain bread or cheese that's not colored some radioactive orange in most of them.
(But God bless 'em, they're hard workers, for the most part. But, they're also the 33 percenters ...)
rogue trader,
i'm a simple Ranger and i fail to understand the relevance of your comment. Pls remember that i confuse easily and you should use little words that are easily understood, and on topic.
Sometimes grunting works equally well.
jim
Anon,
i see no indication that Palestinians want to integrate into the Jewish state.
jim
derryl,
I know you are being sarcastic, but for the benefit of the readers lets state that Nixon was not BG's Cin C. He was his President, and RN was the militaries C in C.
This is a distinction that we are blurring in the new improved version of Amurica.
jim
RT,
The palestinians have a cash cow and get money for being recaltricent- if there was an agreement then they'd have to get jobs and work for a living- just like the Jews.
jim
RT,
If your friends were Mossad agents then they violated operations security protocols by telling you their status.
They are effective b/c they are unknown.
jim
MB,
An earthquake is God's equivalent of a 122 attack.
jim
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