Both devirilized.

On an ice skating rink.

Sick, or what?

Yet some on DU would have no problem with this.

Even Santorum would know what to do here.

When I was growing up, Papa Goldstein, a veteran, told me of how a Catholic member of his Army unit said he felt really sad, because my dad was a nice guy but he was going to Hell. Jewish, you know. Fate was sealed.

Similar thing happened to me in college. In the midst of a session involving adult beverages, I jokingly asked a Catholic fraternity-mate if I was going to Hell. His response was no joke - he tensed up, got defensive, and wouldn't answer. I was blown away. And this was not Liberty University, if you know what I mean.

I wasn't actually worried about going to Hell, of course. And it was disturbing to see such a high-functioning individual believing in such things. But what blew me away was the sense of separation I suddenly felt between me and my buddy. He didn't think of us as exactly a brotherhood of people: he saw me as an outsider, a very different person with a very different trajectory.

As I've moved through life, I've come to accept that seeing others as outsiders is the root of all evil. We cannot hurt what we know to be the same as us. When we think others are different, the hurt becomes more abstract and easier to inflict for a few shekels or some other cheap thrill.

So it gives me tremendous pleasure to read that Pope Francis seems to believe that good people are good people, that Catholics don't have a monopoly on redemption. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but it seems like a tremendous step forward for the Church and for humanity. We are all basically the same schlubs, trying to have decent lives, who basically want to do the right thing.

I hope that Francis' move means that my son doesn't have to deal with such weirdness in a few years when he's out drinking with his buddies. And that it will be easier some portion of our planet's 1.2 billion Catholics to feel closer to the other 4.8 billion of us. And vice-versa.

I understand that the Pope isn't OK with gays, gay marriage, abortion, and married priests. And probably a bunch of other things. But remember, that's how 90% of people in the US, and probably on Earth, felt about those things just 25 years ago. And Francis doesn't seem to shun anyone - he just disagrees, but will gladly wash their feet.

I may be a pollyanna here (me, a pollyanna?) but seems like Pope Francis has moved his Church's point of view forward by centuries during his brief tenure in Rome. That's quite a lurch, and I'm beginning to understand why the Jesuits are known as God's Marines. This seems to be one heck of a forced march.

I sure hope that Francis moves the dial on the time machine all the way up to the present. But for now, Francis seems to be a bit of lightness on a globe that seems otherwise quite dark these days.

Seeing as the guy who *did* get fired for this fully-fake outrage had nothing to do with it as far as I can tell, let's just fire everyone. That way we make sure we get rid of those who did the not-even-close-to-"outrageous" deed, we make an example of the rest.

We can give Jamie and Lloyd the contract for privatizing the IRS.

Let's make a deal, Pat.

Next hurricane, you take a rowboat a mile offshore from where the thing makes landfall, clad only in your Speedos. No flotation device.

If you survive, I convert.

Pray away the hurricane, and I'll boldly stride into the cave from where my people control the media, put your message on every channel, then lock the door so nobody can stop it. All Pat, all networks, all the time.

Deal?

Ha! Consider yourself punked!



No meeting. We're still in fully-descredited common-sense belt-tightening bipartisan austerity that has never ever worked mode. Except for bankers who get unlimited cash with zero interest.

Return to your regular programming, chumps.

(Reality seems to have no bearing on reality these days... gets frustrating...)

More bipartisan love for the bankers; but Sen. Warren's preparing for battle. One thing's for sure - if she loses, there will be blood and teeth left on the floor.

Yep, according to the Harvard PhD thesis of Republican wunderkind Jason Richwine, author of the Heritage Foundation report that claims immigration is destroying our precious bodily fluids, the average IQ of Nigerians is 69 (see page 139). In fact, it looks like in Richwine's world, the average citizen of almost all Sub-Saharan African countries has an IQ below 70, which qualifies as what used to be known as mental retardation, now known as an intellectual disability.

Mrs. Goldstein was reading about Mr. Richwine's thesis in the Globe this morning, and decided to check it out.

Wow.

Looks like most Central Americans are at borderline intellectual functioning, which is an IQ of 70-84.

Average Israeli? 95, still below the average. Seriously?

I call bullshit. Utter bullshit. Unmitigated bullshit. Republican-caliber bullshit.

Just thought you might like to know what we're dealing with here. Pretty disturbing stuff. Shame on Richwine, and shame on Harvard for housing faculty who'll sign off on this kind of garbage.




*I used "mentally retarded" for shock effect, wouldn't normally use it. But note that the term *is* still used in the DSM-IV

mean it's politically-oriented?



Where does the IRS find these people?

Folks like Obama and McCaskill are right - they all need to go. Now.

And I'm glad Holder's opened a criminal investigation: I wonder if anyone could *really* be so stupid as to make that association, it's probably criminal.

Regards,

Third-Way Manny

Woo-hoo!

Some nitwit took me to court. Today was the big day. Apparently my counterclaims were more powerful than his unmitigated bullshit. He got zip. I got a few grand.

The look on the judge's face was priceless when he tried to present his case.

Anyway, just wanted to crow a bit. It's all been pretty stressful. There are better ways to make a buck.