Religion

Advice To Senator Marco Rubio: Separate Yourself From Christian Right Wing “Know Nothings”, Or Your Presidential Future Is Over!

Ronald 6 Comments

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is an attractive, intelligent, 41 year old Senator with a theoretically bright future, who will make an impact on American politics with a long career in the Senate.

But since he has Presidential ambitions, and has already visited Iowa, the first caucus state and earliest Presidential vote in 2016, he will be watched with a microscope and fine tooth comb, and he is, sadly, on the way to self destruction in his quest for the Presidency.

At this point, it is not an issue of whether one believes in all of the viewpoints of Marco Rubio.

Rather, it is a question of his basic acceptance of the validity of Science, and one does have to be, personally, a scientist, to reject the craziness and looniness of evangelical Christians who believe in what they call Creationism!

Marco Rubio told GQ Magazine in an interview that he was not a scientist, and that there is debate among scientists over the age of the Earth!

Come on, Marco, there is NO such debate at all, and scientists agree that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and the study of our earth by geologists and astronomers and others, all brilliant men and women, is that the age of the Earth is extremely accurate.

Sure, it is hard to conceptualize 4.5 billion years, but that does not mean that, therefore, it is not accurate.

But instead, the religious right wing says that the Earth is 6,000 years old, and that dinosaurs walked the Earth alongside mankind!

What a stupid, inane idea that is, but it is portrayed as such in a museum in Kentucky, backed by public funds, not far from the Cincinnati, Ohio airport!

We KNOW that Dinosaurs were exterminated some 65 million years ago by an event called The Big Bang, and there is no debate about that!

Study of dinosaur bones and other fossils confirm their age as way earlier than 6,000 years ago!

History, written records, begin about 6,000 years ago, and mankind had evolved to the form of organized societies by the time when “History” began.

We know that different breeds of man developed from earlier cave man times, and this is all connected to evolution and Charles Darwin, but of course, the religious right denies all of this!

The Christian Right is also refusing to believe that Global Warming and Climate Change exist, a detriment to our future on this Earth.

It comes down to the reality that Religion is based on Faith, but with no factual basis, while Science is based on Observation, Research, and Fact, and the two should not be mixed.

So, Senator Rubio, if you continue to deny that the Earth is older than 6,000 years old; if you continue to deny Global Warming and Climate Change; if you continue to deny Evolution; if you continue to question Science and favor evangelical Christianity over Science; if you continue to come across as ignorant, stupid, and a “Know Nothing”, you may continue your career in the Senate, and might even be a leading figure in the Senate, but you will NOT be a future President of the United States, as the vast majority of intelligent, knowledgeable people in this country will repudiate you, and your decision to permit Christian extremists to attempt to propagandize their desire to advocate mind control over the educated Americans.

Educated and intelligent Americans will not allow the narrow mindedness of Christian extremists to stop the advancement of Science!

Texas, Louisiana, Florida, And Other States Have Secessionists Petitioning For Separation From The Union: Adjust, Or Seek Out Better Pastures Which Do Not Exist!

Ronald 1 Comment

This is the whacko season, and suddenly, as a result of the Presidential Election Of 2012, we have petitions from thousands of people in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and 17 other states, mostly the Red states, demanding secession from the Union, because they are unhappy with Barack Obama as President.

The answer to these people is to remind them that the Civil War, 150 years ago, settled this issue.

But if these Americans are that unhappy, they are welcome to leave the country and find better pastures!

However, if they go to any other English speaking nation, such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, they will discover that all of them have much more advanced social programs, have much better health care systems, and all prevent religion from having as much of a foothold in politics as we allow in this country!

And if they choose to move to other advanced industrial nations that do not speak English, such as France, Germany, the Scandinavian nations, Italy, Japan, or Israel, they will find out quickly that they also are way beyond our concept of social justice, religious freedom and separation, and regulation of business.

So, instead of acting like spoiled children, these secessionists should adjust and work to make America a better place for all, not just the rich and privileged!

Teabaggers: Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out To Canada Or Australia!

Ronald 2 Comments

The moronic Tea Party Movement has suffered a major defeat in the Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2012, and many are planning a move out of America to other English speaking nations, specifically Canada and Australia.

They do not wish to go to Great Britain, where the Conservative Party is in charge of the government, because their brand of conservatism is not conservative enough, and they actually have national health care and believe in global warming and climate change, so horrors to the idea of living in such a nation!

Now Canada sounds good to them, and has a conservative Prime Minister, but these Teabaggers seem not to be aware that they also have national health care and other socially advanced programs, more so than the United States.

Now, Australia sounds good, but they have a “radical” government led by a woman who is an atheist, so damn it, that is no good either!

In fact, all three nations believe in science, have advanced health care, and none of them allow religion to have such a foothold over their politics as we tend to do, or did until this recent election, when the religious zealots, who want a theocracy, lost out, along with the Teabaggers!

Where are these ignorant, moronic Teabaggers to go? Well . . . ..

I have an idea! Get a rocket ready at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and do not charge the Teabaggers for the cost of the trip!

And you ask: Where would they be going in the rocket?

How about a one way trip to the moon, no possibility of return to earth?

Now that is a NICE thought! Have a good evening!

Social Advancements: Gay Marriage And Recreational Use Of Marijuana!

Ronald 2 Comments

Amazing social advancements occurred in yesterday’s election, and it will never be reversed, and will, instead spread rapidly nationwide!

Gay Marriage was approved by VOTERS in Maine and Maryland, and probably in Washington State, and Minnesota, while not allowing it , defeated a state constitutional amendment to ban it forever.

Also, Washington State and Colorado approved recreational use of marijuana in small amounts, if used at home, not in public places.

These are trends of the future, whether one likes it or not, as the point is that many people feel it is NONE of the government’s business to interfere with private life decisions!

One does not have to like the concept of gay marriage, but then many whites, particularly older ones, have a problem with racial intermarriage and integration, but the answer is “TOUGH”, as your dislike of change should not govern the lives of others! If you do not like interracial marriage or gay marriage, fine, don’t engage in it, but DO NOT use the argument of religion to interfere with others’ lives! This is a personal decision, not subject to religious viewpoints, and certainly, if churches or synagogues do not wish to engage in gay marriage ceremonies, that is their right!

As far as marijuana use for recreational purposes is concerned, this author has never smoked marijuana, but also has never smoked cigarettes nor has he ever been drunk from alcohol.

That is my personal choice, but since cigarettes and alcohol have been proved dangerous to one’s health a lot more than marijuana but are legal, there is no reason to arrest and imprison people for use of marijuana!

What liberals and progressives want is ECONOMIC regulation, not SOCIAL regulation, so kudos on the issues of gay marriage and recreational use of marijuana, and may it spread far and wide, and make the American people what they wish to be–free and in control of their own happiness!

What Demographic Groups Will Vote For Barack Obama And Joe Biden? And Who For Mitt Romney And Paul Ryan?

Ronald 7 Comments

It is clear that this Presidential Election of 2012 will see clear-cut splits in the population, unseen in modern history.

The following groups will clearly vote a majority (fifty percent plus one) for Barack Obama and Joe Biden:

Men–More Educated
Women-More Educated, Single
African Americans
Hispanics-Latinos
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Young People under 34
Middle Aged People 35-54
Jews–Less Religious
Catholics–Less Religious
Secular Voters
Labor
Gays and Lesbians
Veterans–Young and Middle Age
College Graduates
Intellectuals
Urban Residents
Suburban Voters
Civil Libertarians
Environmentalists
Northeast and New England
Midwest Except Indiana and Missouri
Mountain States Of Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico
Pacific Coast and Hawaii

Who will clearly vote in a majority for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan?

Whites–less educated, rural, men and women
Men–less educated and particularly from South
Women–less educated, married, more religious, rural
Wealthy–top two percent
Corporate World
Senior Citizens Who Are White and Christian
Voters 55-64 Who Are White and Christian
Religious Voters, Christian and Jewish
Cuban Americans
Rural Voters
Those With Less Than A Four Year College Degree
Southern States, except Florida and Virginia
Great Plains States
Portions of Midwest and Mountain States, and Alaska
White Working Class in South and Midwest
Tea Party Movement supporters
Conspiracy Theory Believers
“Racial Problem” Voters
High School Graduates or Dropouts

This represents the greatest divisiveness of our nation in probably the past hundred and forty years, and does not bode well for future cooperation in dealing with national problems, both domestic and foreign. Conflict, rather than consensus, is a very disturbing trend in our society!

American Jews, Israel And Barack Obama: Why Two Thirds Of Jews Will Support Obama Over Mitt Romney

Ronald Leave a comment

With two days to go until the election, the Republican Jewish Coalition has been actively trying to convince American Jews that Barack Obama is not supportive of Israel, and that they should support Mitt Romney for President.

Will the RJC succeed? To some extent, yes, in the sense that while 78 percent of American Jews backed Barack Obama in 2008, the number will be down to about 60-63 percent in 2012.

There are those Jews who are extremely wealthy and do not wish to pay more taxes, such as the group which met in Boca Raton, at the infamous gathering where Romney talked about the “47 percent”. Those who are corporate, Wall Street, and banking related will wish to have the government abandon any regulations, so they can go about their merry way abusing their industries, as they did in 2008. and earlier, without any care for the damage they were doing to the American economy!

Those who are highly religious will use it as a means to promote prejudice, based on the belief that Obama is a secret Muslim, and of course, being black, is not a plus to highly religious people, whether Jewish or Christian, a sad commentary on what the meaning of religion is all about!

Those who look at Israel as the number one issue will wish to allow Benjamin Netanyahu to influence American policy, even though if any other foreign leader ever attempted to interfere as Netanyahu has, they would be infuriated by such boldness of a foreign leader!

But American Jews, while caring about Israel, will not allow Netanyahu, or religiosity, or counting their money, to be the key factors in their voting. So yes, the percentage will be down, but Jews who do not allow any of the above to influence them will remember that Obama and his party are the party of the New Deal and Great Society reforms, which Romney and the Republicans wish to destroy!

They will know that it was REPUBLICAN Presidents who made life much more difficult for Israel, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, even though the RJC conveniently manipulates the truth about that

They will know that Defense Minister Ehud Barak (a former Prime Minister); Shimon Peres (Israel’s President); Haaretz (the oldest Israeli daily newspaper); Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel; and most prominent American Jewish leaders have all endorsed Obama, or said that he has been the best friend of Israel of all American Presidents.

They will know that most American Presidents either never visited Israel, or not in their first term, despite the lies of the RJC.

They will know that Obama has supplied Israel with the IRONDOME missile defense system, and more than $3.1 billion in security spending beyond that, and has defended Israel consistently in international organizations, including the United Nations.

They know that George W. Bush also talked about the 1967 borders as a beginning point for negotiations, the same thing that Barack Obama said.

They know the Jewish tradition of being activists in civil rights; of supporting women’s rights; of being big promoters of labor unions; of being involved in promoting education and the environment on a regular basis; and advocates of aid to the disabled; and of always being against the negativism of the Republican Party on domestic matters, always resisting Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and every other social, economic and political reform the Democrats have promoted over the past century.

They know that the party of the people is NOT the Republicans, but the Democrats, and they are not about to abandon the party that has done so much good, particularly when we could see the alternative of the most right wing threat in American history since Barry Goldwater in 1964!

American Jews are OVERWHELMINGLY oriented toward reform, progress, change, compassion for those who are discriminated against and less fortunate, and they are intelligent and wise enough not to vote for the party of Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and right wing evangelicals who wish to take away our civil liberties and civil rights!

So close to two thirds of American Jews will repudiate the RJC, and support their President, Barack Obama!

The REAL Issues Of 2012 That Are Being Ignored In The Presidential Campaign

Ronald Leave a comment

If one follows the Presidential campaign of 2012, one would think that ONLY the economy matters.

YES, the economy matters, but the newest jobs report demonstrates that this nation is on the mend, and that over the next Presidential term, the economy will recover, with some experts saying that up to 12 million jobs will be created, whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney wins the White House on Tuesday.

Others would say the danger of Iran is the major issue, but even on that, it is clear that both Obama and Romney would react similarly to an actual Iranian attack on Israel or any other part of the Middle East.

So the REAL issues are not the economy or Iran!

Instead, they are the following, although ignored in campaign rhetoric:

Climate Change or Global Warming—the reality of it, as demonstrated yet again by Hurricane Sandy, and the need to take the lead in moving away from oil and coal as the major energy resources. But, of course, Republicans and conservatives deny the reality of this threat, and the oil and coal industries do everything they can to protect themselves at the expense of the nation in the long run.

Gun Violence—as demonstrated by what happened so many times in the past few years, including Tucson, Arizona in 2011 to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords; the mass murders in the Aurora, Colorado movie complex in 2012; the constant murders in cities such as Chicago, often ignored because the victims are African Americans; and so many other cases. And again, the Republicans and conservatives fight any type of gun control, and allow the National Rifle Association to hold America hostage.

Education—the dire need to promote more people attending and graduating four year colleges and universities. Many would say that having a four year degree does not guarantee that one gets the job he wants or needs. While that is true, the unemployment figures make clear that those with a four year degree or more have an unemployment rate under FOUR percent, while those with less education or dropping out of school have an unemployment rate of TWELVE percent! Is there any evidence other than this to convince parents and children of the urgency of getting an education through a four year degree? And besides, there are intangibles other than just getting a degree for a job, such as improving one’s basic skills of reading, writing, and speaking, and improving one’s mind and knowledge; making one a better person in social situations and parent situations; and raising people up from ignorance, conspiracy theory beliefs, and over reliance on religious doctrine, which unfortunately makes many people unwilling to reason for themselves, and just accept gospel as absolute fact. And of course, Republicans and conservatives argue against extra funding and assistance for education, and would prefer to lean on organized religion to “control” the masses, keep them ignorant, and willing, therefore, to accept ideas without questioning or challenge!

The Supreme Court—not understood by many for the important role it plays, and will continue to play, and the urgency of having a President who will select nominees who wish to look to the future, and not the past, and prevent regression politically, socially, and economically back to the Gilded Age and the 1920s. The Republicans and conservatives and Mitt Romney want more Antonin Scalias, Clarence Thomases, and Samuel Alitos, to insure that we go backward for the next 30 years! So the election of Barack Obama is urgent for the future of constitutional law and the preservation of the advancements of the Earl Warren and Warren Burger Supreme Courts.

These issues mentioned above SHOULD be understood before people, who have not voted before Tuesday, vote for our next President, and the best decision for any sane individual is to vote for the candidate who represents a willingness to deal with the future, President Barack Obama!

Senior Citizens And The Romney-Ryan Threat To Social Security, Medicare, And Medicaid

Ronald 2 Comments

For a long time, it has been believed that senior citizens have been more likely to vote Republican than any other age group in the 2012 Presidential campaign!

Senior citizens as a group are seen as less likely to support abortion, gay rights and gay marriage, and sadly, some have a problem with having an African American President as well. Also, religious beliefs are often more important to many senior citizens, so that makes a majority of them likely to be conservative and vote Republican.

But forgotten is that these senior citizens have greatly benefited from “liberal” Democratic programs such as Social Security under Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, and Medicare and Medicaid under Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society,, and with their longevity, they are really gaining a lot more than probably future generations will benefit from these prograrms.

And many senior citizens sense that what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan represent is a threat to them, even though there are claims that it will not affect anyone on these programs, or within ten years of going on these programs.

But then, many of these senior citizens also are concerned that their children under 55 will be forced onto a voucher program under the Paul Ryan plan on Medicare, and that Medicaid will be cut, and that Social Security could be privatized as well for the future, endangering what they and their children have contributed to for generations.

So now, the belief is developing that it is possible that senior citizens may be reconsidering their support of Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, as, after all, they are a combination of an extremely wealthy former Governor, who has never had to struggle, and a young Congressman who has inherited millions from his in laws, and has done very well on his own for a man of 42 years of age!

In other words, are these candidates able to understand the hopes and fears of average people, both senior citizens and their children who are under 55, but have paid into Medicare and Social Security for decades?

The answer is clearly NO!

The Republican Party Totally Changed From Its Founding: More Southernized Than Ever Before!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican Party started as a party of anti slavery and anti slavery expansion, and became anathema in the South, fighting the Confederacy during the Civil War, and imposing military Reconstruction on the South after the Civil War.

For a century, the South was solidly Democratic in reaction, and the South subjugated African Americans in segregation and discrimination, while the GOP abandoned African Americans after 1877.

In the 1960s, moderate and liberal Republicans supported the passage of the civil rights laws, but southern Democrats started to veer to the Republican Party in reaction to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s advocacy and promotion of civil rights, with Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina leading the march to the GOP.

Richard Nixon pursued a Southern strategy, and after Ronald Reagan became President, the trend to “Southernization” continued, and now it has reached full development, even though we have two Northerners–Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin–on the Presidential ticket.

The Republican Party of 2012, based on its platform and its rhetoric, has hostility toward minorities, promotion of racism against Barack Obama, hatred of national government, belief in exploitation of low wage workers, and promotes religion over science, all reflective of the backward traditions of the Old South, which remains the poorest part of the nation economically, and yet is willing to support the Republican Party out of fear of change and modernization.

But, ironically, this is the last gasp of this trend, as the country is changing to a multi ethnic society, and the white population that is so anti change is rapidly becoming a smaller portion of the nation, and will be so, in a very obvious way, by the time of the Census of 2020 and after, when the Hispanic and Latino population of Texas and Arizona and Florida will likely turn those states “blue”,. from their momentary “red” status.

So the Republican Party is in the death throes of its Southernization, as even Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia are being changed demographically, rapidly before our eyes!

The Ultimate Republican Hypocrisy And Double Standard: Highly Moral And Religious Publicly, And Major Attenders Of Strip Clubs And Nude Bars At Political Conventions!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party loves to portray itself as extremely religious, moral, and ethical, and opposes full fledged sex education in public schools, and also loves to invoke God as punishing sinners by natural events, including tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, droughts and earthquakes.

But now we are faced with the likelihood that the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, may face the wrath of Hurricane Isaac, an ironic event to say the least, particularly of the “son of Abraham”, the founder of the Jewish people in the Old Testament, “punishing” those who claim to be “good Christians”, promoting a hateful attitude toward those who are not willing to accept their dictates on social and economic matters, but who actually wish to do the good works that Jesus Christ promoted, rather than gaudy materialism, greed, and selfishness!

And also, Tampa is famous for its strip clubs, nude bars, and lap dances, and it is expected that Republican delegates, including highly “religious” delegates, will “let their hair down’, and act contrary to what their stated beliefs are! Of course, they will do everything to cover their tracks, and continue to preach what they do not practice! By the way, statistics show that Republicans go to such venues three times as likely as Democrats do!

This is the height of hypocrisy—do as one says, but not as one does! But what is new about the modern GOP, captive of the social conservatives and Tea Party activists, who are in the process of destroying the historic Republican Party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and even Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the Bushes!