The unpardonable sin.

I am eschewing Facebook (again) for an indeterminate time. The rage, she has built! The absolute blithering moronity (well, it's a word, now) has made me unpleasant to be around. The Usual Suspects have tired me beyond belief with kneejerk politicking, which leads me to the title of the piece.

In a world where dismembering babies in utero is a practical sacrament, and where the public proclamation of one's (Christian) beliefs is shouted down as promoting an oppressive State Religion, when, and how, did "racism" become the ne plus ultra of social transgression? If I harbor unpleasant thoughts about one of another hue, or use a pithy vulgarism to refer to one of Particular Ethnicity, why does this cause me to be of close-to-Hitler popularity amongst society-at-large? The illiberal, the xenophobic, the intolerant -if only in word or even attitude- is roasted to a golden brown and then devoured on the table of public opinion.

Why?

Why is "being racist" such a bad thing? I am not being coy, nor disingenuous. Let's discuss this. I feel that I am adrift amidst the flotsam of disjointed prevailing sentiment. "Things fall apart; the center does not hold." There is no Pole Star to guide me through the shoals of consensus. Why is this The Thing to despise?

It seems that a culture requires something to hold it together. We have always been at war with Eurasia. Like that. The Five-Minute Hate writ large. We can agree on nothing, except someone to pillory, someone to loathe.

Someone to feel superior toward.

Is it as simple as that, or are there more complex issues at work? Inquiring minds want to know.

Keeping up....

I have pulled three all-nighters this week. Printed 'til 6AM today.

This defines "busy", I am told; a situation for which I am profoundly thankful, but it does wear on a body. I am off (!) to Knoxville for a 2-day anime and comic con this weekend. Not too far.

I grow weary of the endless whining about Bundy. I do not believe that he is in the legal "correct" column, but then, I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (DENNY CRANE!) I always tend to err toward freedom, however. I am a liberty person, and the FedGov overreach chaps me.
--------------------------

The FDA is in process of figuring out how to regulate e-cigs.

And cigars. They wish to regulate my benign Drug of Choice. (Self-medication. We'll talk.)

THIS IS A THINKING I HAVE THUNK ABOUT. IT IS NOT AIMED AT ANY ONE PERSON OR GROUP.
---------------------------------------

Freedom, while dangerous, should be embraced.

If you wish, support, and celebrate the Government trying to ban What You Do Not Like, please bear in mind that you may do things That I Do Not Like.

Better for us to live tolerantly and amicably, I won't "X" in your presence, if you will not "Y" in mine.

Anything beyond that is meddling, and just bad form.

In other words, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

In OTHER other words....

MYOB.

(Here is a great story by Eric Frank Russell about MYOB!) Please to read. It is FUN!)

What Warren shared

Happy Resurrection!

Ran across an excellent piece by someone hight "Cato the Youngest":

I've been reading the story of Thomas the Skeptic (slandered by preachers as "doubting Thomas.") The funny thing about that story is, Jesus didn't flip out, but to hear most preachers and theologians go over the story, you'd think it went down like:

"Cursed art thou, unbelieving schweinhund! see? see? I got nailed up and that Longinus guy friggin' stabbed me with a spear! A spear! And he talked kinda like John Wayne."

He said "how much more blessed are those who don't see, but believe?" and that comes off passive-aggressive today in English, but in Greek it's like. wow. how...gracious and understanding.

Of all the apostles, Thomas is the most worthy of admiration. 'cause in that room, on that day, after the resurrection, he was the least among them. Tradition holds that after the Resurrection, he went and took the gospel East, maybe as far as China. We don't know.
Take comfort in the words of Publius Cornelius Tacitus, and remember what absurdity took place next in the annals of history:

"Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind."

Is an empire of aircraft titanium and silicon any stronger than an empire of clay and iron?
Yes, much stronger, and we have nukes. Yet some of us will live to see the Cross shatter the stars over the red field of China's flag, and perhaps Thomas had a hand in that. Regardless of the propaganda, demographics are on our side.

What we believe is utterly ridiculous, and for this reason it is an unstoppable juggernaut which "brings low the mighty" and "confounds the wisdom of the wise."
Rejoice, and be humble, and laugh with the critics and the mockers and the scoffers. They know not what they do.


Happy resurrection.

A Peg for Bundy.

Here is a piece by Ian McLeod, his own self:

http://ianmcleod.com/a-tale-of-rights-and-wrongs-in-the-west-part-i-equality-and-bad-faith/

Please to also buy his books.

Important, and likely to be misunderstood.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/18/what-price-freedom-not-gandhi


10-11PM CDT

Clear the airlanes...clear ALL airlanes, for the Big Broadcast!

My show, "Frog Boiling, and Why God is not a Helicopter" on "The Aardvarks Plumbline" is airing 04/15/2014 on BlogTalkRadio. See the details and set a reminder at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/16/frog-boiling-and-why-god-is-not-a-helicopter

 


 10-11PM CDT.

Dearest reader o' mine....

I have been in travail, covered up with work, trying to do a creditable job with the blogradio thing, selling at cons, being covered up with work, like that. So, my apologies for leaving you all bereft of my innate wisdom and winsome style, or at least granting you point-and-laugh moments (Can you buhLEEEEVE he actually wrote those syllables?!)

I find that moving my jaws is far easier than tapping on a keyboard. Mr. Wolff can attest to that fact. He despairs that I shall ever get beyond three-paragraph stories, I fear.

If anyone has heard the audio Plumbline (and stats say that someone is...several someones!) feel free to send me suggestions for improvement (ending the show is not an option) or topics. I am earnestly trying to stay away from politics...you can listen to AM and get a bellyful of that...but that will happen from time to time. As promised, neither shall the show become the Interwebs Bible Hour, but I shall deal with Biblicality where need arises.

Sharing Facebook drama? No??

The "schedule" shall be Wed - Thurs, with an occasional Tues - Wed to adjust for work schedules.

I am seriously considering a Saturday night soberblog, "The Tiki Time Lounge", celebrating tiki culture, exotica (no, that does NOT put the "X" in erotica), and Space-Age Bachelor Pad music. This will also occur at cons from time to time. I must find a comparatively inexpensive way to clear playing music, beyond VPNs and entering witness protection. This MAY be a fools errand, but if I can find a small sponsor, this could be a thing.

Dear Leader also supported Prop 8 during his brief tenure in the Senate. Why is HE still CEO of the US?

I must awa' to print shirts for a con. Happy week!

The latest blogcast, with the BEST ad EVAR, as well as surprise calls of varied worth.

More Pop Culture Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with The Aardvarks Plumbline on BlogTalkRadio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/04/stan-freberg-we-never-knew-ye

Mr. Wolff joins me briefly.

The show, tomorrow AND Thursdae

My show, "TRAVELS, TRAVAILS, AND SEEKING TO BE "THE MOST HATED CHRISTIAN BLOGGER"." on "The Aardvarks Plumbline" is airing 04/02/2014 on BlogTalkRadio. See the details and set a reminder at http://tobtr.com/s/6272791.

10PM CDT