(P1) Poetical
Maria de Los Angeles Art
Maria just finished one year at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York (with all A's in her courses). She is definitely on her way to becoming a significant artist, surely, one to watch. This young artist is self-sustaining, working many jobs during her enrollment. She needs additional funds for the next semester. See her Gallery here, and then contact Maria at either mdelosangeles88@gmail.com or delosangelesfineart@yahoo.com
Comment or Read Comments Here on any of the above or below. Log in under "Name/URL," (it's easy). Just the name (don't worry about the URL). Actual name is best, but use what you like. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net, and I can post it.
(P2) Philosophical
Why Bill Edelen Lost His Gigs (sad, intriguing, & all-too-true)
Have I ever mentioned that Bill Edelen (center) married Joyce and me on August 10th, 1991? Yes twenty years!
Censorship by Omission
Posted By Bill On Jul 10, 11 @ 3:00 am In Weekly Column
We get all hot and sweaty about censoring movies… music… literature… pornography and language and yet about one of the most important issues in our past history, the religion of our Founding Presidents, censorship is everywhere with the media, literature, teachers and other mediums of communication. I call it CENSORSHIP BY OMISSION, where by silence, religious and historical ignorance and illiteracy is promoted. Why, this silence? As one editor told me: “because it would offend the Christian community among our subscribers.” Even though factual and accurate history, it would offend them.
It reminds me of one of the most brilliant observations of H.L Mencken, the pre-eminent columnist, known as the “sage of Baltimore,” as he wrote for the “Baltimore Sun.” He wrote: “The most curious social convention of the age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.”
For over 40 years I have been living with this weird and psychotic omission mentality. The mentality that says, “oh my… we cannot tell the Christians that our first six Presidents were NOT Christian, but DEISTS.” Even though it is in the Encyclopedia Britannica, as well as in quotes from their own mouths and writings, we cannot print that for it would offend the TRUE BELIEVING Christians, even though everything they believe on this subject is wrong. Censorship by Omission.
Let me bring this subject down to my actual experiences of over 40 years in order to give you more vivid examples.
I have been writing for a dozen major newspapers in the Western U.S. and in EVERY paper, members of the Christian community, the nut cases, have done all in their power to get the column cancelled. (Read full article here).
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray,
that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.
Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth
piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years
of unrequited toil shall be sunk,
and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash
shall be paid by another drawn with the sword,
as was said three thousand years ago,
so still it must be said
"the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
With malice toward none, with charity for all,
with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on to finish the work we are in,
to bind up the nation's wounds,
to care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow and his orphan,
to do all which may achieve and cherish
a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
- Abraham Lincoln
(from his second inaugural address, March 4, 1865
Comment or Read Comments Here on any of the above or below. Log in under "Name/URL," (it's easy). Just the name (don't worry about the URL). Actual name is best, but use what you like. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net, and I can post it.
5 comments:
Thanks for the Edelen column. I just posted it on Facebook, for whatever that's worth. I certainly did know that the first Presidents were Deists, not Christians, but the headlock Christian censorship has on our media and many minds always gets my blood boiling.
Happy Anniversary
A presentation of twenty roses would be appropriate.
john
ed:
can you send me a copy of your new book, or some poems from its contents? i would like to mention it in our upcoming newsletter.
larry
Happy 20th anniversary. Thanks for sharing all that good stuff. Edelen is amazing. And so is Maria de Los Angeles.
Margo
Just wanted to say that I totally agree with your political stance as outlined on your profile. I personally prefer to stand up for the minority, since even if they aren't right, they often have at least something good to say.
In most cases, neither side can be said to be purely good or evil anyway!
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