Big Whack of the Week is an easy one. Whiny Obama worshippers in almost a cultish sort of blind embrace (can you say, "David Koresh" or "Jim Jones"?).
No, not every blogger and journalist is asking to be Barack's honey: New Yorker Barack Obama Cover: Satire: To Laugh or Not to Laugh (just be careful if you laugh so hard you pee) but enough are to make me groan at their incestuous glee.
But enough of Obama. I'm getting tired of hearing about him.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Not Everything Is Whacked: The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
Our early leaders, though war ached their hearts, stood fast against tyranny in favor of freedom. Do our leaders now have the same sober valor?
originally posted here: Let Freedom Ring! The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/rolling.html
Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
originally posted here: Let Freedom Ring! The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/rolling.html
Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
Friday, June 27, 2008
Roger Miller - Do-Wacka-Do 1966
Whacks are more than those goofballs who think they are the second coming, like Big Whack Richard Dawkins. Roger Miller, with tongue clearly in his cheek, laid down a few licks.
Roger Miller - Do-Wacka-Do 1966
Do-Wacka-Do - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good thing have come to you.
I wish I had your happiness
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
They tell me you’re runnin’ free,
Your days are never blue.
I wish I had your good-luck charm
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
Yeah, I see you’re goin’ down the street in your big Cadillac,
You got girls in the front, you got girls in the back,
Yeah, way in back, you got money in a sack,
Both hands on the wheel and your shoulders rared back
root-doot-doot-doot-doot, do-wah,
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good things have come to you.
I wish I had your happiness
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
(Nonsense syllable interlude)
Yeah, I see you’re goin’ down the street in your big Cadillac,
You got girls in the front, you got girls in the back,
Yeah, way in back, you got money in a sack,
Both hands on the wheel and your shoulders rared back
root-doot-doot-doot-doot, do-wah,
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good things have come to you.
I wish I had your good-luck charm
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
Roger Miller - Do-Wacka-Do 1966
Do-Wacka-Do - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good thing have come to you.
I wish I had your happiness
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
They tell me you’re runnin’ free,
Your days are never blue.
I wish I had your good-luck charm
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
Yeah, I see you’re goin’ down the street in your big Cadillac,
You got girls in the front, you got girls in the back,
Yeah, way in back, you got money in a sack,
Both hands on the wheel and your shoulders rared back
root-doot-doot-doot-doot, do-wah,
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good things have come to you.
I wish I had your happiness
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
(Nonsense syllable interlude)
Yeah, I see you’re goin’ down the street in your big Cadillac,
You got girls in the front, you got girls in the back,
Yeah, way in back, you got money in a sack,
Both hands on the wheel and your shoulders rared back
root-doot-doot-doot-doot, do-wah,
I hear tell you’re doin’ well,
Good things have come to you.
I wish I had your good-luck charm
And you had a do-wacka-do,
Wacka do, wacka-do, wacka-do.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Oprah - Al - Tom: All Whacked
- Oprah Winfrey - believes in candles and vague, but real inner gods
- Al Gore - believes he's a scientist
- Tom Cruise (and John Travolta) - Scientology
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Forbidden Apple: Sauced by Joel Osteen
Whacked? Totally.
Joel Osteen. Which part of him seems sincere? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but it seems like he is living in Eden, feeding the folks there apples that were not meant as snacks.
Smooth as a John Edwards campaign speech, and as slick as George Bush can say, "Didn't know. I thought there were weapons of mass destruction." Only thing slicker was the Slick One himself, Big Billy Clinton.
Joel sort of inherited his daddy's church, and he took a step further. He hooyed it up with some hogwash, the kind of stuff that even makes Barack Obama squirm in the pew (OK, besides his buddies Jeremiah Wright and Michael Pfleger). Be a champion. That's Osteen-code for, "You're God, or, at least you be like God."
Pass the apple sauce, Joel.
You like this guy? Go ahead buy his book.
New Age Self-Determinism in a Christian Wrapper
Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential
Trying to mix the positive thinking of Robert Schuller, and the faith movement theology of Paul Yonggi Cho and Kenneth Copeland, Osteen has taken the stadium seminar circuit to a new level. Augmented now by his book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential" he pushes the find the god/champion within yourself.
Here, we see he has a study guide to help point out what is not difficult to understand with his book. To his credit, there are a few more Scriptures laced into this guide. However, the main book is not making any points that a study guide will enhance, and only the lowliest of sheep will need the extra help.
People who are down on their luck, or discouraged with life will find Osteen a good read. It is a feel-good book, reducing the image of Christianity to be about us and not about God. Bigger than life is Osteen's picture on the cover, knowing that if you saw him on TV, you might want his book.
"Getting your mind off of yourself," with the goal of self-fulfillment should appeal also to readers of Wayne W. Dyer and other authors looking to reach those who feel disenfranchised.
Osteen's rambling, choppy speaking style comes through, written like he's campaigning for office. Reading like a seminar set to print, it sums as quickly as reading through its self-determinist table of contents:
1. Enlarge your vision
2. Develop a healthy self-image
3. Discover the power of your thoughts and words
4. Let go of the past
5. Find strength through adversity
6. Live to give
7. Choose to be happy
The steps sound innocuous, and, outside of their religious context, are. Within their religious context, evangelicals and charismatics will likely find offense at Osteen's assertions about controlling your own destiny as opposed to letting God control it.
Aim a little higher, and check out Charles Colson's "The Good Life." The title sounds similar, but Colson defines what makes for a good life far differently than Osteen. Save your money, and if you have Osteen's book, read it without the guide.
Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com
Joel Osteen. Which part of him seems sincere? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but it seems like he is living in Eden, feeding the folks there apples that were not meant as snacks.
Smooth as a John Edwards campaign speech, and as slick as George Bush can say, "Didn't know. I thought there were weapons of mass destruction." Only thing slicker was the Slick One himself, Big Billy Clinton.
Joel sort of inherited his daddy's church, and he took a step further. He hooyed it up with some hogwash, the kind of stuff that even makes Barack Obama squirm in the pew (OK, besides his buddies Jeremiah Wright and Michael Pfleger). Be a champion. That's Osteen-code for, "You're God, or, at least you be like God."
Pass the apple sauce, Joel.
You like this guy? Go ahead buy his book.
New Age Self-Determinism in a Christian Wrapper
Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential
Trying to mix the positive thinking of Robert Schuller, and the faith movement theology of Paul Yonggi Cho and Kenneth Copeland, Osteen has taken the stadium seminar circuit to a new level. Augmented now by his book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential" he pushes the find the god/champion within yourself.
Here, we see he has a study guide to help point out what is not difficult to understand with his book. To his credit, there are a few more Scriptures laced into this guide. However, the main book is not making any points that a study guide will enhance, and only the lowliest of sheep will need the extra help.
People who are down on their luck, or discouraged with life will find Osteen a good read. It is a feel-good book, reducing the image of Christianity to be about us and not about God. Bigger than life is Osteen's picture on the cover, knowing that if you saw him on TV, you might want his book.
"Getting your mind off of yourself," with the goal of self-fulfillment should appeal also to readers of Wayne W. Dyer and other authors looking to reach those who feel disenfranchised.
Osteen's rambling, choppy speaking style comes through, written like he's campaigning for office. Reading like a seminar set to print, it sums as quickly as reading through its self-determinist table of contents:
1. Enlarge your vision
2. Develop a healthy self-image
3. Discover the power of your thoughts and words
4. Let go of the past
5. Find strength through adversity
6. Live to give
7. Choose to be happy
The steps sound innocuous, and, outside of their religious context, are. Within their religious context, evangelicals and charismatics will likely find offense at Osteen's assertions about controlling your own destiny as opposed to letting God control it.
Aim a little higher, and check out Charles Colson's "The Good Life." The title sounds similar, but Colson defines what makes for a good life far differently than Osteen. Save your money, and if you have Osteen's book, read it without the guide.
Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com
Wittenburg Door: Bust Out on Busting Religion
Wittenburg Door
Known as "religion's Mad Magazine" (Slick Times) and "the church world's National Lampoon", this "delightfully scathing, gleefully outrageous" magazine (The Washington Post) was recently recognized as one of the world's best spiritual magazines by Utne Reader.
Known as "religion's Mad Magazine" (Slick Times) and "the church world's National Lampoon", this "delightfully scathing, gleefully outrageous" magazine (The Washington Post) was recently recognized as one of the world's best spiritual magazines by Utne Reader.
Richard Dawkins, Mystery Writer?
Richard Dawkins, with the fervor of a street corner evangelist, could be said to have penned what might be considered pulp/dimestore mysteries.
As science, they are intellectually stimulating, much like any Sherlock Holmes short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As religion, well, let's just say ol' Dawk has his own religion going, as he makes a fuss being nonreligious. Even Billy Graham doesn't get as bent out of shape at atheists.
Just the same, he is a mystery writer, except he has no idea whodunit. He thinks he knows who didn't do it, so he'd flunk the Columbo Test for New Detectives.
Get a dose of Dawkins.
As science, they are intellectually stimulating, much like any Sherlock Holmes short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As religion, well, let's just say ol' Dawk has his own religion going, as he makes a fuss being nonreligious. Even Billy Graham doesn't get as bent out of shape at atheists.
Just the same, he is a mystery writer, except he has no idea whodunit. He thinks he knows who didn't do it, so he'd flunk the Columbo Test for New Detectives.
Get a dose of Dawkins.
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