Saturday, September 23, 2006

Condoleezza/Bush's Church/Chess/Pascal

(P1) Political

Two Facts I Did Not Know:

1. Do you get the picture? (It's Not a Joke!)
Below is a picture of the oil tanker before Chevron quietly renamed it the "Altair Voyager" and before President George Bush appointed Ms. Rice as National Security Advisor

* * * * *

National Security Advisor Candoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice was a Chevron Director from 1991 until January 15, 2001 when she was transferred by President George Bush Jr. to National Security Adviser. Previously she was Senior Director, Soviet Affairs, National Security Council, and Special Assistant to President George Bush Sr. from 1989 to 1991.

2. Bush and Cheney's Church Condemned the Iraq War -Oct. 31, 2005 - Last week, the United Methodist Church Board of Church and Society--the social action committee of the church that both President Bush and Vice President Cheney belong to--resoundingly passed a resolution calling for withdrawal with only two 'no' votes and one abstention.

"It is my hope and prayer that our statement against the war in Iraq will be heard loud and clear by our fellow United Methodists, President Bush and Vice President Cheney," said Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the UMC's Board of Church and Society. "Conservative and liberal board members worked together to craft a strong statement calling for the troops to come home and for those responsible for leading us into this disastrous war to be held accountable."

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(P2) Philosophical

Refuting Pascal's Wager

In the seventeenth century the mathematician Blaise Pascal formulated his infamous pragmatic argument for belief in God in Pensees. The argument runs as follows:

If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

How should you bet? Regardless of any evidence for or against the existence of God, Pascal argued that failure to accept God's existence risks losing everything with no payoff on any count. The best bet, then, is to accept the existence of God. There have been several objections to the wager: that a person cannot simply will himself to believe something that is evidently false to him; that the wager would apply as much to belief in the wrong God as it would to disbelief in all gods, leaving the the believer in any particular god in the same situation as the atheist or agnostic; that God would not reward belief in him based solely on hedging one's bets; and so on.

There is much available pertaining to this fascinating philosophical debate. As for me, I'd say there is everything to be lost in making one's bet solely on the basis of fear. That would logically lead to giving up most of the ("God-given" if you like) pleasures and joys of this life on the wager that there is a next life and that (assuming you've chosen to live with your hands, mouth, and mind tied here), it might be better than anything we know here and now. See "Catholicism," "Puritanism," etc. Also see current fundamentalist all-or-nothing thinking in the political arena, eg. "Fear a lot now, obey totally, and you'll be 'safe.' " So, you tell me what hell is.

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(P3) Poetical

For me, baseball, soccer, and chess, at times, feel very much like poetry. Here's an example of the last.

White to play and win in 4 moves. Solution is available upon request (Press "Comment" and ask for it).

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Foreplay/Pushes/Leaf

(P1) Political

Foreplay


James Madison -

"If Tyranny and Oppression come
to this land, it will be
in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

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(P2) Poetical


Gentle Little Pushes

Lying still
in the garden

warfare—

the notion
absurd.

Give everyone
a garden
breeze and swing

especially
executive
owners

of gardens and swings.
Lead them outside,
give them gentle

little pushes
start them all
moving—

forgetting all else,
being alone

(Edward Coletti-September 2006)

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(P3) Philosophical

From Bill Edelen

"A New York Times article on the 'animal connection' recently was on the health benefits of having a dog or cat. I loved this paragraph.Don't worry about cardiovascular workouts...oat bran or an aspirin. To live longer and heal faster...lower blood pressure and cholesterol and have a far better chance of surviving a heart attack...get a dog. Dogs should be making house calls and making the rounds of wards.' There is a quote for the front of your fridge door." As to his own dogs, Edelen writes, "Our little puppies live in the eternal NOW. With the natural rhythms of the moment...the flow...the response to the present."

Whether or not the following passage from a Dead Sea Scroll is an accurate response to a disciple asking how to enter the kingdom of heaven, it makes some sense to me, "Follow the birds...the beasts...the fish...and they will lead you in."

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Friday, September 08, 2006

All Star Teams/Patriot Project/Guru Poem


(P1) Philosophical

All Star Comparison

Check out this recent sports article comparing the 2006 versus 1966 baseball all star teams and let me know what you think about "progress."

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(P1) Philosophical

Patriot Project

I urge you all to read this piece from The Huffington Post and spread the word about The Patriot Project. As you probably know, Max Cleland was head of the Veterans Administration and a US Senator from Georgia before he lost to Saxby Chambliss, who with the help of Rove smear tactics, impugned Cleland's patriotism. Thus, in the words of Arianna Huffington, "...a man who got out of military service by claiming a 'bum knee' is now a United States Senator, having run a disgraceful campaign against a decorated war veteran who lost three limbs serving his country in Vietnam."

"Max Cleland's story is not only about fearlessness, but about the power of fear, the sickening exploitation of which is the reason why Cleland is no longer in the U.S. Senate.

"That's why it's so essential that we all support a project close to Cleland's heart: The Patriot Project. Its mission statement -- as clear-eyed a statement of purpose as you'll ever see -- is:

Freedom of speech and the right to dissent are cornerstones of our democracy. The Patriot Project will defend any man or woman, regardless of party or affiliation, who is attacked or defamed and whose patriotism is questioned simply because they exercise their rights as Americans. This is our mission.
"This includes pushing back against the upcoming smear campaign by a group ironically called "Vets for the Truth" against Congressman Jack Murtha. This new incarnation of the Swift Boaters is questioning Murtha's patriotism because he dared speak up on behalf of U.S. soldiers in demanding a strategy and timetable for bringing our troops home from Iraq.

"As James Boyce, a veteran of the Kerry campaign who is currently among the group heading up The Patriot Project told me, "Logically, it's insane, but politically, it's brilliant. The right wing has literally turned the courageous military service of Democrats running for office into a liability. As a result of relentless fearmongering, we have the toy soldiers ruling the country while the real heroes are on the outside looking in."


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(P3) Poetical

Christ As Guru Rinpoche

by Jampa Dorje

The Pope is pissed about The DaVinci Code
that Mary Magdalene had a kid with Jesus

How's he going to feel about the revelation
the Tibetans have cooked up in Shambhala?

Odd to see the pontification of the mystery
Christ, the bridegroom & the Church
the bride as the reason
why women can't be buff

Quack, quack, quack
another duck


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