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- President Obama’s lack of experience with royalty was on full display today in England as he mistakenly began a toast to the Queen of England at the wrong time, resulting in “God Save the Queen” blaring over his words and no one getting to drink what was in their cups. Awkward. “And now I propose a toast to the Queen,” President Obama began in London today, but only got as far as “To the vitality of the special relationship” before “God Save the Queen” cut him off. He kept reading the toast, however, and finally raised his glass to her. No one drank out of their glasses afterwards, however. The Queen herself looked over at him with a hint of contempt (confusion?) in her face, while the other members of the royal family stood stoically around them.
- President Obama flubbed his remarks to troops at Fort Drum Thursday when he told the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division about the time he awarded the first Medal of Honor to someone not receiving it posthumously. The medal, he said, went to Jared Monti. The only issue is that Jared Monti died in service in Afghanistan, and did in fact receive the medal posthumously.
- St. Paul--Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has been criticized in recent weeks for her unintentional revisions of history, but on Monday President Obama revealed he could use a refresher course in American history as well. In an interview Monday with reporter Brad Watson of WFAA-TV of Dallas, Obama seemed to confuse the state’s current political history with its Democrat past. “Texas has always been a pretty Republican state,” Obama said, when asked why the President was so unpopular in Texas. In fact, since the Civil War and until 1980, the Lone Star state swung toward the Democratic candidate in 23 of 27 presidential elections.
- WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama sees his secretary of defense just about every day, but he still flubbed Robert Gates' name on Thursday. Gates was in the crowd for Obama's national security speech. Pointing him out, the president said "William Gates" was on hand. Perhaps Obama was thinking of Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire. The defense chief, who goes by Bob, was also misidentified at a Pentagon ceremony on Tuesday. Then, he was introduced as Ronald Gates.
Bachmann may have mixed her Iowa cities up, but at least she knew which state she was in and that the state is one of fifty, not fifty seven.
ReplyDeleteA one-eyed man (or woman) is king (or queen)in the land of the blind.
ReplyDeleteBachmann better than Bama but Palin better than both.
ReplyDeleteQuirk said
believe the Bible is allegory and myth (not a derogative term) that discusses abstract principles and ideas in story.
That is exactly what I believe.
What else is there in reaching for human meaning other than story?
E = MC squared isn't exactly a love poem and I'd rather be thinking about something else on my deathbed.
dwr
dwr
And I agree there are many finds that back up the stories.
ReplyDeleteThe tomb of the high priest was found for instance.
dwr
Meant to include the name Caiaphas.
ReplyDeletedwr
OK --here's a story --taken from the sermons of Meister Eckhardt who was a "Roman Catholic" and I can't remember which sermon.
ReplyDeleteThe "Roman Catholics" of Germany at the time almost killed him but he escaped that fate by dying first.
A PRINCE left the CASTLE and went to a FAR CITY where he gambled his FORTUNE away. (his fortune is of course his spiritual understanding).
He REVIVED and managed to return HOME and REMEMBERED he was, is and always will be a PRINCE.
That is story.
In other news a wolf was shot in Elk City,Idaho in the city limits, 90 pounder, by some deputy or other.
I am no longer Dead Wolf Running but Dead Wolf Running No Longer.
dwrnl
Wholesale Unleaded UP for a second day. About $0.08 since the low on Friday. O'bammie's heart is getting ready to break.
ReplyDeleteThe Market don't like amateurs dicking around in its business.
I know more than a few Christians that believe their book to be actually factual, not metaphor.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are some folk that believe the Bible is myth, no doubt.
Others believe it is the revealed word of God, without question, the history of actual events.
Views encompassing Christians of every stripe and variety. Christian who believe that other self proclaimed Christians are truly Satanic.
Which are just some of the reasons the United States is not a Christian Nation.
Reasons the Founders decided there would be no religion, established by Congress, as the official religion of the nation.
Wisely so.
There is no consensus upon the factual basis of any of the religious texts.
ReplyDeleteJesus was in Missouri, and will return, there, for the Resurrection.
It is not metaphor nor myth, to the believers in Branson.
Mrs Palin's parenting skills, less than stellar.
ReplyDeleteHer political skills, like wise.
She is a good provider for her family though, putting that before both parenting and politics.
Mrs Bachmann is a far better parent and a better politician, as well.
ReplyDeleteBetter educated and more articulate.
Not a quitter, when the going gets tough.
I'm not much of an expert on "parenting" skills, but I believe you're going to be surprised by her political skills.
ReplyDeleteI know Exxon surely was.
Yeah, today, per Bachmann, John Quincy Adams was a "Founding Father."
ReplyDeleteYesterday, John Wayne was a "son" of her hometown, Waterloo, Ia. (He wasn't, but John Wayne Gacy was.)
A couple of weeks, ago, the shot heard around the world was fired at Concord, NH. (a surprise to those folks; they thought it was Concord, Massachusetts.)
Two Days ago, she stated that she had never benefitted from Farm Subsidies, although her Congressional Disclosure Forms belie the statement.
She seems a bit "gaffe-prone."
She was flummoxed by the staff of Team Maverick, not able to get out of their shadow. That is the true indication of her political skills, or lack thereof.
ReplyDeleteHer 15 year old daughter got drunk and then pregnant. That is the depth of her parenting skills.
She couldn't be pressured by the normal methods employed by Exxon.
She then had to leave office, prior to the end of her term.
That's politics.
She failed at it.
Did not finish the race, did not even try to. We called that being a bolo, back in the day.
She could win the Senate seat, here. Betcha that's her play, if she reenters the political arena.
Mrs Bachmann, I agree rufus, does misspeak upon occasion.
ReplyDeleteThey all do.
Doubt if she become the nominee.
It'll be one of the Mormons, I do believe.
Though that is not the revealed word, on that subject.
Though Brigham Young did say that when the US was in dire straits, it'd turn to the Mormons, for salvation.
He was a Christian Prophet.
Or so some believe.
14 million believers.
ReplyDeleteGive or take.
Nuclear crisis in Japan will probably sap 38 years of profit, study says
ReplyDeleteCNN
A Japanese electric utility is likely to pay more in damages for its ongoing nuclear crisis than all the profit it made off nuclear power over 38 years, a study says.
Israeli Video Blog Exposed as a Hoax
ReplyDeleteA YouTube video featuring a man who presented himself as an American gay rights activist disillusioned with the latest Gaza flotilla campaign has been exposed as a hoax.
The man in the video, who introduced himself to viewers as Marc and claimed that the organizers of the latest flotilla of ships bound for Gaza had rejected his offer to mobilize a network of gay activists in support of their cause, was identified as Omer Gershon, a Tel Aviv actor ...
...
While it remains unclear who produced the video, and Mr. Gershon has not responded to a request for comment, bloggers were quick to point out that people in three different Israeli government offices promoted it on Twitter soon after it was posted online.
Iran’s space program plans to send monkey in capsule
ReplyDeleteIran, 52 years behind the US on the technological learning curve.
"If we did away with the Minimum Wage, Unemployment would go to Zero." Michelle Bachmann
ReplyDeletePalin had to resign, Rat. Palin's personal legal bills had hit $500,000.00. They were going to put her family into Bankruptcy. She had no choice.
ReplyDeleteI know, rufus.
ReplyDeleteThat was a political play, and they whipped her with it.
It is an indication of her lack of prior planning and strategic thinking.
It is an indication of her lack of real political skill.
Mrs Palin is great at gaining publicity, which is not the same as political ability.
ReplyDeleteShe could not navigate the political waters in Juneau, Alaska.
Washington DC is a much tougher town.
Politics continue, long after the votes are counted.
ReplyDeleteWinning elections is not the be all, end all, of politics. It is just a part of the process.
Governing is where Mrs Palin fell apart, she could not go the distance.
Well, she left her state a $9 Billion SURPLUS, Rat. And, Alaskans have just about the highest per capita income in the world.
ReplyDeleteMeantime, Exxon hates her.
I'm having a hard time not liking what I'm seeing.
Wholesale Unleaded prices are up $0.10 since Friday.
ReplyDeleteThe oil market is too big. This policy will just enrich a few Big-Time Specs.
They're already leasing Tankers for offshore storage. Probably buying as we type.
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ReplyDeleteAs I pointed out this morning rat, in the last five posts on the previous stream, your analysis on Christians yesterday was faulty on a number of levels.
The sources you cited were laughable. The history you cited was incorrect. You assign things to Constantine that happened before he was born or after he died. Your various assumptions were either wrong or inconsistent. And finally, that you have very little understanding of religion.
You continue with the same today.
You ignore the central tenants that define a Christian and instead concentrate on differences between the denominations. You talk about the Mormons who did not even exist at the time of the Founding Fathers.
You talk about differences but you never get around to the point of proving that the various denominations you cite aren't, in fact, Christian.
The analysis I gave you on the last stream shows that once you have decided on some subject, you have no problem offering up sources that are incorrect or laughable while hoping that if you offer enough of them quantity will overcome quality.
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I'm glad to see not only does everyone know their politics, but they are up on their religion too. Now all you have to do is prove there really is a God.
ReplyDeleteCisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) has cut its income taxes by $7 billion since 2005 by booking roughly half its worldwide profits at a subsidiary at the foot of the Swiss Alps that employs about 100 people.
ReplyDeleteCisco’s techniques cut the effective tax rate on its reported international income to about 5 percent since 2008 by moving profits from roughly $20 billion in annual global sales through the Netherlands, Switzerland and Bermuda, according to its records in four countries.
Bloomberg
Cite a few sources, Q.
ReplyDeleteWhich is what debate is about, but you pass on that.
Like a petulant lawyer, one who cannot argue the law, or the facts.
A few months ago I bought a new radio for my car. You know the updated version, everything ready. It was either that or buy a new car.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I needed a new battery terminal and I thought Christ, I'm gonna have to program everything in that radio again, which I didn't, only the tuner channels needed reprogramming. Do you think I could figure out how to change those freaking channels on that thing? NO!
So the point of my story is while driving to the supermarket this morning I'm trying to figure out, which should have been the simplest task, how to change the channels and program them into the radio. After ten minutes of going through every function, I hear, now we are going to read Acts 13-51, the story of Paul.
Weird, eh?
There is a Jewish fellow, Simcha Jacobovici, who has a television program, "Naked Archaeologist", that put forward the idea that Saul/Paul was an agent of the Romans.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed to make a reasonable case, for that.
I repeated it, running it up the flag pole, as it were, to see the reaction.
Now Simcha could be wrong, the linked references that make a similar case could be wrong.
No one here at the Elephant Bar has made a dent in his hypothesis.
Instead, petulance is the order of the day.
From the Wall Street Journal:
ReplyDeleteWhat do Bill Gross, Evan Newmark and Rep. Eric Cantor have in common? They’re all betting against Treasury debt!
But only one of these men has been involved in heated negotiations over the government’s debt ceiling, and that’s Eric Cantor, No. 2 Republican in the House.
Mr. Cantor, who walked out of debt discussions with Vice President Joe Biden last week, owns up to 15,000 shares of the ProShares Trust Ultrashort 20+ Year Treasury ETF, Salon notes today, updating a Wall Street Journal report on this from last year.
Eric Cantor is short on the US Treasury debt.
Two faced Republican scum, he is.
Why should anyone want to put a dent in a hypothesis, which is just a supposition? Particularly a Jewish fellows thoughts on the birth of Christianity, when he doesn't believe it himself?
ReplyDeleteEverything I stated previously regarding this subject is bases on fact straight from the Bible, which I believe to be the inerrant word of God. Which, by the way, other than your own petulance, you haven't disproved or dented.
Fact: Paul was a Pharisee, a very legalistic and extremely
religious Jew, who also happened to be a Roman citizen.
Fact: Prior to his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he sought permission from Rome to rat out all followers of Christ and have them arrested.
If you think that makes him an agent of Rome, then be my guest. Agent is a silly word regarding this subject.
The fact that you choose to ignore is that after his encounter with the Christ, he became an AGENT of the Heavenly Father.
Paul was arrested several times and imprisoned by
Roman guards. Why would Romans arrest one of their secret agents? Silly.
Go look it up, it's all in the Bible.
He was held, under house arrest for two years, in Caesarea after the Jewish crowd at the Temple in Jerusalem almost killed him for being an apostate.
ReplyDeleteMuch like Osama was held, in Pakistan.
There is no record of his death, in the Bible, because after he went to Rome he was allowed to "fade to black", unlike Peter who was publicly crucified, upside down.
That Saul was housed comfortably by the Romans, and not executed by them, that is another indicator of his complicity with them.
Saul/Paul was an agent o the Romans, like Osama was an agent of the Pakistani and the Saudis.
ReplyDeleteJust as well connected.
His time in Caesarea is an indicator of that, more than that he was considered an enemy o Rome.
Just like Osama's stay in a luxury compound in a popular summer resort a short drive from the national capital. Caesarea and Abbottabad both being resort towns, not prison camps.
The Romans were protecting Saul/Paul, just as the Pakistani were protecting Osama.
ReplyDeleteDebriefed him and then sent him to Rome, where he eventually disappeared from history.
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ReplyDeleteGeez, Gag.
Haven't you read the "Flavian Testament" put out by rat's indisputable source, C. N. Carrington of C. N Carrington Arts.
Who is C. N. Carrington and what is C. N. Carrington - Arts?
Who the hell knows but he seems to agree with Simcha Jacobovici, a tv host whose job it is to stir up controversy.
It all makes sense. To some.
.
This will not end well:
ReplyDeleteAt least 10 people are reported to have been killed after a top hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, came under attack by gunmen and suicide bombers.
An official said three bombers had blown themselves up at the Intercontinental Hotel and another had been shot dead.
Later, Nato said two of its helicopters had killed three attackers on the roof.
Kabul's police chief told the BBC that troops had entered the hotel and that all the guests were safe.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group was behind the attack.
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ReplyDeleteCite a few sources, Q.
Once again, you fail to read what I say. Or you ignore it. I have stated that I am an agnostic. I am not defending any particular religion.
Before the latest conversation got started, I pointed out to you that my comment on the US being a Christian nation was tongue in cheek.
What I have been arguing right along is that your thoughts on this and many subjects are faulty and that you have a distinct way of argumentation that uses questionable sources, errors in fact, and ridiculous assertions ("The facts are beyond debate"), as well as blatant logical fallacies in order to prove your point, hoping that the quantity of nitwit references you throw out will overwhelm quality in the debate.
You take one debatable point, the US is a Christian nation, and then bring in totally irrelevant and in many cases incorrect statements about the Council of Nicene, Constantine, Paul, the biblical canon, and now the Mormons. One has to think, given the quality of your sources, the intent is to obfuscate.
Had you simply stated "the US was not built on Christian principles"; I would find it hard to argue with you. There is little or any proof that it was a leading concern in the formation of the Constitution, at least from, the written documentation.
But that's not what you said and was not your main point throughout this discussion. What you have said is,
That there is great diversity amongst the followers of modern Christianity and that the claim the US is a Christian Nation is baseless due to that diversity.
The structure of your argument is illogical. It employs the logical fallacy of Begging the question in the one case, ie
Different Christian denominations argue about some details of their religion,
therefore
Some of these groups are not really Christian
Or
If you assume that they are all Christian, then you employ the logical fallacy of Avoiding Conclusion
If you accept they are all Christians and form the majority of people in this country both at the time of its founding and now (76%), how can you say it’s not a Christian nation?
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Who defines Christianity, Q?
ReplyDeleteCertainly not the US Government.
The self-identifying Christian members of the Branch Davidian?
Those that believe that the Pope embodies the anti-Christ?
Or Catholics?
The Gospel of Mary Magdalen?
.
ReplyDeleteThe Romans were protecting Saul/Paul, just as the Pakistani were protecting Osama.
Debriefed him and then sent him to Rome, where he eventually disappeared from history.
As you said rat, cite your sources; but please, don't embarrass yourself further using the quality of sources you put out there yesterday.
Believe it or not, Dan Brown is a fiction writer.
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And yes, the objective is to stir the pot.
ReplyDeleteThat is much more entertaining than bashing Eric Cantor, when everyone agrees that he is a dick for short selling US Treasury debt.
New evidence uncovered from the compound of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden indicates he was focused on terrorist attacks to coincide with symbolic dates on the calendar, including major holidays and the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks next September 11, FOX News reported Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteWhile the truth that the Romans used religion as a political tool is indisputable.
ReplyDeleteThat they used agent provocateurs, true too.
That they'd have them in Israel, during and after the reign of Herod the Great, natural.
That the Romans edited the content of the Bible, at the First Council of Nicaea, indisputable.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteOnce again your logic eludes me.
Under your view, a person self-identifying themselves as an adherant of a particular religion can't be believed simply because someone ese says he's not.
I pointed out in the last stream that there is are core beliefs associated with being a Christian, that Christ shares the godhead with the Father, that he became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day. That is the core. What you argue about is internicene differences and trivia.
Given your question, one would have to argue that there are no adherants to any religion because there will always be someone within that religion that has some difference with him on issues of faith.
As I said, completely illogical.
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ReplyDeleteThat the Romans edited the content of the Bible, at the First Council of Nicaea, indisputable.
Cite your sources.
.
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ReplyDeleteWhile the truth that the Romans used religion as a political tool is indisputable.
That they used agent provocateurs, true too.
That they'd have them in Israel, during and after the reign of Herod the Great, natural.
Completely irrelevant to the matter at hand. Proves nothiong about Paul
More obfuscation.
.
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ReplyDeleteHis time in Caesarea is an indicator of that, more than that he was considered an enemy o Rome.
Just like Osama's stay in a luxury compound in a popular summer resort a short drive from the national capital. Caesarea and Abbottabad both being resort towns, not prison camps.
Jesus rat, now Pakistan and Obama? You are getting desparate.
We had the discussion yesterday on the fact that Paul was well off and well situated, that he was a Roman citizen, and the rights and privaleges that status afforded him.
I can't decide whether you really believe this stuff or it's all part of some elaborate joke.
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I had Roman food last night at the local Italian cafe. Undisputable.
ReplyDeleteI own some Roman shoes made by Donald Pliner.
ReplyDeleteUndisputable. Reasonable proof that Paul was James Bond.
Christ, whoever he was and wherever he is, was a man of peace. He did not teach Jihad. He was a healer and concilliator. He inspired individuals and for two millenia gave solace and comforts to those that needed it when all else failed them. His doctrine and the teaching in his name became a pillar of the greatest civilization the World has ever known. The imperfect men who followed
ReplyDeletehis teachings could have done worse, some did.
Nominal Christians tried to exterminate the descedents of the tribe of Christ and other Christians liberated and saved the Jews. So it goes.
Germany, which abstained from the UN Security Council vote authorizing the use of force in Libya, was reported Tuesday to be prepared to contribute military supplies to the NATO effort, Der Spiegel reported.
ReplyDeleteThe report said that the alliance submitted a request to members for military equipment last week.
German defense minister Thomas de Maiziere approved the request and authorized the supply of bomb components and missiles.
Rat
ReplyDeleteYou missed your calling. Instead of impersonating Walter Mitty, you should be doing stand up.
Europe continues to be engulfed by economic crisis. The global focus returns to Athens on June 28 as Greek parliamentarians debate austerity measures imposed on them by eurozone partners.
ReplyDelete...
The European Union is a confederation of states that outsources day-to-day management of many policy spheres to a bureaucratic arm (the European Commission) and monetary policy to the European Central Bank. The important policy issues, such as defense, foreign policy and taxation, remain the sole prerogatives of the states.
...
The eurozone crisis — which is engulfing EU member states using the euro but is symbolically important for the entire European Union — is therefore a crisis of trust. Do the current political and security arrangements in Europe — the European Union and NATO — capture the right mix of nation-state interests?
Divided States of Europe
However, she's proven to be a serious political contender when it comes to the polls and fundraising. A recent Des Moines Register poll of Iowa Republican voters shows she's in a statistical dead heat with Mitt Romney for the lead in the nation's first presidential nominating contest (which is, albeit, seven months away).
ReplyDeleteAfter Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace asked Bachmann if she's a flake, the congresswoman said, "It's insulting to insinuate that a candidate for president is less than serious."
She later accepted his personal apology after he called her.
Not Perfect
I bought a pack of pasta last night for two dollars called romanelli or something and that makes me a roman christian missionary to the nimipuu.
ReplyDeleteI put a little wolf meat on it just to tick deuce and quirk off.
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\dwrnl
I don't know much about religion, but it's stuff like this that makes it hard for me to be a "Doomer." Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells
ReplyDeletePotential for 42% efficiency.
During a recent password audit, it was found that an Essex girl
ReplyDeleteWas using the following password:
"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofyLondon"
When asked why she had such a long password, she said
She was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.