George Orwell, Social Nudity, and Facebook

"Creepier still are the Orwellian implications which apparently riddle both the origin and the structure of Facebook." (THIS LUDDITE IS A FACEBOOK-PHOBE, Calgary Herald , May 6, 2008, Kevin Brooker

"While I am an advocate for, and a believer in a more public, open, and transparent web, I am concerned at the Orwellian overtones in Facebook." FACEBOOK CHANGES SOCIAL CONTRACT, YET AGAIN, Stowe Boyd, on his website, March 28, 2010

"Zuckerberg decided to open up to the new privacy settings by completely sharing 290 photos of himself and other information, in effect saying to users, 'If I can be socially nude so can you-come on everyone is doing it.'" FACEBOOK'S PRIVACY MOVE VIOLATES CONTRACT WITH USERS, ReadWriteWeb, December 15, 2009, Kayla Hamlin

Kayla included a quote by Jason Calacanis in her article: "Facebook's reckless behavior is . . . simultaneously making users distrust the Internet and bringing the attention of regulators."

I do not plan on joining Facebook anytime soon. Would it not be something like getting the Mark of the Beast spoken of in the book of Revelation? Maybe I will purchase THE PHENOMENON OF THE FACEBOOK STATUS and find out what I am missing.

Facebook exists to please its customers, the advertisers. The rest of us are sheep to be brought to the shearing and the slaughter house.

Slaying the Firstborn Using a Lightsaber?

A couple of Passovers ago someone posted some displeasure at the idea of slaying the firstborn as part of the liberation of Israel from Egyptian bondage. What could I reply? War is peace?

I once saw an image at my job as floral shop driver/helper in which rain falling on a pile of corrugated cardboard had transferred a newsprint image of what appeared to be the Death Angel standing at the victim's door ready to do the deed of murder with a lightsaber from Star Wars. (Having a fairly severe hearing loss, my ability to enjoy or even grok Star Wars is fairly limited. Too peripheral of an experience, George Lucas' intentions to the contrary.)

Having partially mastered the art of offset printing, I cut the cardboard image out and then photocopied it, adding Exodus 12:12 to the sheet of yellow paper: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the Lord. (King James Version)

Maybe Dennis Kucinich and Walter Conkrite can lead us into the Promised Land. We can hope, can't we? I will leave it to others to draw comparisons between the work of George Lucas and Jewish folklore. I lack the expertise.

Sitting Sideways on a Broom

I dreamed I gave Betsy a fly-through-the-air ride on a broom. Now I am not a witch if you have to ask. It was a first for her and took place after dark at McCallie and Holtclaw in Chattanooga. A little closure for her abrupt death twenty seven days ago. I wonder what it was like for her piloting a Cessna. She seemed to enjoy being a passenger on my broom.

Notes and Seasons

Her luck completely bautumned out in Hot Springs--

No one even to write a suicide note to for.

Next winter summer the carrion birds will have

Written their thank you notes--

Moved on.

Sunset in Maine, Sunrise in Birmingham

This week was a sad week for the gay and lesbian community in Maine. There is some silver lining in the clouds, this time in Birmingham Alabama. Tomorrow Metro Church of God will be hosting the final conference of "Love Won Out," Focus on the Family/Exodus International's Road Show to help gays go straight, something not really recommended by the American Psychiatric Association.

Here is the description of one of the breakout sessions, "Answering Pro-Gay Theology:"
This session takes a look at the growing acceptance of homosexuality in the [get this] evangelical community and offers a clear biblical response to a revisionist theology that says homosexual behavior is not sinful.

Conference goers are encouraged to not seek sexual contacts and must wear wristbands at all times. This is in some contrast to a single parent function Focus on the Family sponsored in 1997 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I was present and was seated where I would have a good chance of meeting a woman who lived right up the road. She had the same name as my dog and was just as shy around strangers as my lovely Leesha was.

Now if I can just unlearn some of my ingrained heterosexual habits. Oh well, I learned them along the way; surely I couldn't have been born straight just as no one was ever born gay.

Just think, pretty soon there will be no James Dobson to kick around. And it is not polite to talk about Ann Coulter's love life. It is probably not polite to remark that she is lanky either.

Single Fifty Six Doubled

Fifty six years ago today my sister Ruth Elaine was born. Country singer Deborah Allen was also born that day. September 30th 1953 was the fifty sixth anniversary of the death of Saint Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of aviators, florists, AIDS victims, also of illness(es) and missions. Ruth died in 1991 of breast cancer, the same disease that claimed the life of Azelie, Saint Therese's mom. Ruth made it clear to me that she was somewhat haunted by the proverb "whoso curses his father and mother his lamp shall be put out." She was the mother of five sons, who spent a good deal of their childhood in the Children of God organization. Her son Jonathan has a current affiliation with that organization, which has had to overcome its own shadowy past of childhood sexual abuse and unlawful child custody.

Truman Capote was born in 1924 on September 30th. James Dean died on September 30th 1955 in an automobile accident. In 1993 a 6.4 earthquake rocked Southern India and claimed approximately 10,000 lives.

Here is a prayer of Saint Therese I like: "I implore Thee dear Jesus to send me humiliation whensoever I try to set myself above others." Amen.

An average pregnancy lasts about nine months. Being the last day of the ninth month of the year, September 30th is a good day to be born.

Metaphor for Rapture

I made a comment at deeptruths dot com that nine eleven could be seen as the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecy "for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us." I have a brother who turned forty two on nine eleven, so tomorrow he reaches the half century mark. Forty two is interesting if nothing else. Don Kistler said it stood for the second coming of Jesus Christ, citing forty two months from the book of Daniel and the forty two generations in the gospel of Matthew.

There will continue to be metaphors for the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note that others besides the late David Brandt Berg consider America to be the Babylon of the Book of Revelation. "Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy" intones an ultimate reality for the number forty two.

The half century mark? It could be the year of jubilee is just ending or just beginning. Take your pick.

Carat on a Stick

Eighty three years ago today Rudolph Valentino died. He had brought a single red rose to Ditra Flame when she was deathly sick in the hospital as a child with the request that she return the favor on the anniversary of his death.

Did he give her a carrot on a stick? Maybe so. But surely she experienced some joy as the mysterious lady in black who made annual visits to his crypt.

I guess we can all hope to endear ourselves to at least one person who will remember us after we are gone, either on our birthday, our wedding day, the day we died or some other meaningful date on the calender.

Rest in peace, Rudolph Guglielmi Valentino!

On George Tiller

"He has killed more babies than he has saved," Mr Gietzen said of Mr Roeder. "I don't care how much fan mail he is getting."

(David Barston in "An Abortion Battle to the Death" in today's New York Times.)

Unfortunately The Sanctity of Life is trumped by the sanctity of the family unit and the sanctity of marriage. Acts of passion between married partners should be their business and acts of teenagers need to be looked at as sometimes tragic and reversible by the act of abortion.

I think it is one thing Bill Clinton had right. Abortion should be legal but rare. And adoption should be encouraged.

The Artist as a Young Man

The artist, like the God of the creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails.

(James Joyce--A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)

Every Fury On Earth

Every fury on earth has been absorbed in time, as art, or as religion, or as authority in one form of another. The deadliest blow the enemy of the soul can strike is to do fury honor. Swift, Blake, Beethoven, Christ, Joyce, Kafka, name me one who has not been thus castrated. Official acceptance is the one unmistakable symptom that salvation is beaten again.

(Let Us Now Praise Famous Men--James Agee)

MORE DICED CARROTS PLEASE!

Well today someone might win $339 for celebrating Square Root Day. For myself I cut the fat half of a parsnip into square root "coins," munched them raw and sauteed the remainder in vegetable oil.

I suppose if I pigged out on diced carrots at a restaurant I may be eligible for the $339 prize.

Maybe on 04/04/16.

Gnostic Notes: Neither Accept Nor Reject

Gnostic Notes: Neither Accept Nor Reject

This seems important to neither accept or reject. It puts you in the camp where others cannot judge you as much as you yourself have suspended judgement.

(Click on title to access link.)

Schadenfreude Happens

SHAHD-n-froi-duh happens, sometimes during war, which is what we think of on Election Day and also on Veterans Day, Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month of the Year.

According to Volume 1.1 of Unabridged Dictionary dot Com, shadenfreude means pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune. I know I have been guilty of that. We are cautioned against it in scripture lest the Almighty behold such evil and turn the tide to favor our enemy. Such is politics, sports, business, and war.

Testeroni Expresso

He had his Kate and Edith toooo

Den drank isopropyl alcohol from his wooden schooo.

Say No to Cobb County

A military plane landed in Atlanta today with relief supplies for those folks in Georgia who were recently invaded by the Russian military. Condi Rice urged Dubya to exclude relief to those living in Cobb County, partly in retaliation for the anti-gay agenda prior to the 1996 Olympics within that county. No gold medals for Georgia in 2008 seemed to be the sentiment inside Atlanta's clock.

"Times have changed," Condi said. "Russia cannot invade Atlanta like it was Chekoslovakia in 1968. The good old USA will protect those Georgians who put family values first."

In other matters, Ann Coulter, appearing on *Ellen* reaffirmed her committment to Hillary over McCain. He is still in Chekoslovakia, she alleged. He doesn't spell it with a z either.

Michelle Goldberg's Taken During Surprise Rapture

So the rest of us can ignore [Left Behind], or chuckle at its over-the-top Christian kitsch.
We should keep in mind though, that for some of the most powerful people in the world, this stuff isn't melodrama. Its prophecy. Michelle Goldberg

Which brings us to the fact that some Christians ran up their credit card bills in 1988 figuring they would be raptured up by the Lord before they would have to pick up the tab.

I learned my prophecy from David Brandt Berg, founder of the Children of God. He was not expecting the Lord's return until the early 1990s. We ended up getting Bill Clinton instead.

Toast Salad

UU WORLD FALL 2007 PAGE 56: Unitarian Universalism has neglected theology.

PAGE 57: Rev. Dr Paul Rasor, a UU liberal theologian put it at the 2007 General Assembly[:] "While we may be post-Christian, it matters that it's Christian that we're post." Ongoing dialogue with liberal Christians will help us in our own more diverse conversation by keeping our roots alive. (Christopher L. Walton)

Which brings to mind what Dallas Willard wrote about the Christian Left. They are inclusive of everyone except the exclusivistic Christian Right.

The UU faith is also pre-Christian. And some of those conservative Christians are pretty decent folk.

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot, who is running an hour late. At least that is what Debbie said.

God a distant stately lover

In Emily Dickinson's poem "God is a distant stately lover," we have John Alden courting Priscilla for Miles Standish. She ends her poem that Miles and John are synonym, much as Jesus the Son courts for God the Father. He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, Jesus declared.