Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Lady Jade Phoenix's LiveJournal:

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Saturday, February 16th, 2008
8:58 am	*Chirp Chirp* Is this thing on? My, it's been a long time since I posted anything here. I guess that's because life has been so busy lately. New contracts, a daughter who's left to accept a job offer, and general busy-ness has kept me hopping. Anyway, I came across this little thing, and like the person I read it from, it seems fairly accurate: you are turquoise #40E0D0 Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is higher than average - You know what you want, but sometimes know not to tell everyone. You value accomplishments and know you can get the job done, so don't be afraid to run out and make things happen. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything the spacefem.com html color quiz (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 14th, 2007
3:15 pm	Infestation Station You'd have thought being on the other side of the Big Pond would isolate one from the epidemic going on, but it appears that some bozo was infected and a carrier coming over to his new assignment. After a day or two of abnormal quiet from the base nearby, things changed for the worse in the early morning hours. There's enough firepower here to kill a pretty large size tank column, but how do you kill something that's already dead? I have never seen an Apache in action outside of a gunnery range, but the formation of airships hovering over the southern end of the base and shooting at something over the hillock was a sight to see. My guess is to keep them confined to the base perimeter and not allow them to escape to the town and the unprotected civilians. I guess I won't be going on base anytime in the near future, not that I worry about having enough brains to sate a zombies' appetite... Current Mood: irritated (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
12:53 pm	A Half Century 50 Five-O Half a century. Current Mood: shocked Current Music: Happy Birthday (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 17th, 2007
8:48 pm	Wearin' o' the Blues For many, St. Patrick's Day is a day to be happy and celebrate. Unfortunately, not for me. It was last year, on this day, my father passed away, and two years ago on this day My dear friend Andre passed away. This year, my landlady is in the hospital recovering from a heart attack. She should be home soon, though, thank goodness. So I guess I am just happy to have this day pass with quiet introspection. I haven't said anything to those around me because I didn't want to bring them down. Current Mood: melancholy (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
11:52 pm	Wall-Eyes Yes, I know that I hardly ever update this thing, but I have something to pass along; Wall-Eyes. It is a phrase I coined for those people that seem to go blank when you ask them a question that cannot quite be processed. Case in point: The other day we were at the Exchange, looking for one of the electric AC converters. You know the kind, they have different ends and a switch for various voltages, so you can power radios, and other small electronic devices. Anyway, the PX was undergoing renovation, and we couldn't find where they put them so we ask one of the sales clerks in the electronics section. "Can you tell me where you moved the AC adapters to?"... Blank stare. Wall-Eye. After a few moments of describing the device and function, quoting the price (last known), pointing out the last location, and even giving the make and model from what we remember, he says, "Oh, they were discontinued. if not, we are out right now. Please check back in 2 weeks." Wall-Eye. Wall-Eye not only covers having no idea what you are talking about, it's sitting there and completely missing what you just said. This is especially bad when you deviate ONE IOTA from a menu item at a fast food place here. Case in point: This morning, we went to Camp Stanley to swap out a printer. We arrived pretty early to beat the morning traffic and had time for breakfast. The only place open in the food court is Burger King (mmm, burgers for breakfast). For once, i decided to order a typical breakfast menu item, but Brenda orders a BK Stacker with hash browns and orange juice. The order came up. Mine was a western omelette croissant-thingie with hash browns and a small coffee cup (which I put tea in), Brenda got her burger and juice, but got fries. At first she thought i ordered them, but I told her I knew better. Although the cashier heard hash browns, and repeated it, she punched the button for fries. Wall-Ear in this case. Popeyes is the same way. Order a combo meal with an extra biscuit, and they will charge 50 cents for the biscuit, but I will bet you even money you won't get it until you remind them.They see a biscuit in the meal and think that it's there. When picking up a meal to go I tell Brenda not to order it with ours. First, it'll be warmer if we get it before we leave. Second, if you want to confuse the hell out of people, tell them you have two orders to eat here and one to go. You will never get things right. Better to order it ALL to go then pick your items out at the table to eat there. Brenda can't eat sour cream, and always orders it without the sour cream on the items. Guess what we find when she gets home? It's not worth the gas to go back and tell them they screwed it up again, so I tell her to check it BEFORE we leave. So far their success rate is less than 50%. Drive throughs? Forget it. Order a single sandwich or a combo meal with NO deviations. Anything else is guaranteed to be messed up. Order extra pickles, and you'll likely get none. The worst was a Popeyes 3 piece chicken dinner. I usually don't get them because the 3rd piece is almost always a wing, and I don't think it's worth the extra dollar or so for that. Give me a 2-piece and call it good. Burt Brenda wanted to surprise me, so she ordered a 3 piece,no wings, spicy, and paid the extra amount for the piece request. So what showed up when she got home? 3 piece, all wings, regular. She was so upset she cried, but I told her it was no matter. Chalk it up to Wall-Eye, and never special order it again, unless you are going to check it before leaving. After 15 years here, I learned my lessons, and that is to not confuse the people. While they may not be sharp in the US at times, Koreans have the added problem of language parsing, and since "I don't know" and "I don't understand" are considered rude and bad manners, they will simply nod, smile, and screw it up. Just look for the signs and know when you hit the limit. That is best described as Wall-Eye. Current Mood: thoughtful (Comment on this)
Saturday, September 30th, 2006
10:13 pm	Death of a Democracy Once the "Fascist Act of 2006" is signed into law by Bush, we can truly say that the USA as a democracy has died, unless the Supreme Court reverses it immediately. If you are unfamiliar with this act, it was introduced as Military Commissions Act of 2006 and here is the actual bill as passed: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN3930: It is an act that allows people the president declares as "enemy combatants" to be held without trials, they can be tortured to a degree, they have no writ of habeus corpus, and the bill even states that nobody in the administration or or the congress can be tried over any provision of this, past or present, and it cannot be challenged by a judge. If that isn't fascist, I don't know what is. Current Mood: angry (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 10th, 2006
10:37 pm	"Boo" The next thing you know, they will be making people either fly naked or shackled to chains hanging from the ceiling. I don't know if this is the final coffin-nail to the airline industry, but between the cost of fuel and the paranoia, I won't bet on who'll be the next one to go under. And who says the terrorists haven't won? All they need to say is "boo", and the governments do the rest. Current Mood: Disgusted (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
10:49 pm	My two cents worth on conflicts. "Those that use terrorist tactics to attack a known terrorist group prove themselves to be no better than those they attack. A terrorist is still a terrorist regardless of what they wear or who they worship. And they should be treated no better." - Me. Current Mood: Resolute (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 12th, 2006
11:20 am	Follow-up to HFCS It seems that High Fructose Corn Syrup is finally getting the national attention. Note that last night on ABC's World News Tonight, there was an article about what constitutes "natural". http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1951838 Hopefully people will wake up to the fact and demand a bit more truth about what they are putting into their bodies (except hot dogs and sausage. You REALLY don't want to know). Current Mood: optimistic (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006
8:08 pm	It isn't natural, People! I am tired of finding people advertising their products as "All Natural" when they contain an artificial ingredient. I am sorry, but High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a man-made sugar made from corn starch using chemicals, bacteria, and enzymes. Studies show it is linked to obesity and diabetes. It has been shown that the chemical structure is such that it cannot be metabolized by the human body and is stored in fat cells. gram for gram, HFCS has a higher caloric content. Look at your 12 ounce soda. With HFCS, it has anywhere from 160-210 calories per can. That is the same as putting 10 - 13 teaspoons of sugar into that can (real sugar has 16 calories per teaspoon). Fill an empty soda can with water and try and dissolve that much sugar into it. If you can, try to drink it. You will find that the solution would be pretty much undrinkable. HFCS was originally used to fatten cattle. It is now used to fatten people. Instead of "All Natural", a warning label should be affixed to all containers that contain HFCS. That includes Snapple drinks and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The United States is the only country in the world that routinely puts this crap into everything it makes that used to contain sugar. I wish people would wake up and realize that these people are poisoning you for the sake of saving a nickel on their production costs. Here is a List somebody started showing some of the foods with HFCS: http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/print.php?p=849 Current Mood: Upset (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 19th, 2006
6:17 pm	My father's last few days, a letter from my brother. I sent much of what I wrote previously to my youngest brother, Phil. Since I can't be there, my Mom thought he could read a little something at the funeral. I thought I would share a little of what he wrote back... Pat: What you wrote is beautiful; it doesn’t need any editing at all. And you don’t need to write any more; I think you got the message through perfectly. Yes, this is a bittersweet homecoming for the rest of us. I went to visit him almost every single day when he was in the hospital, and it was a challenge to watch him recovering so well several times, only to watch him fall back when it seemed like he was on home stretch. As you can imagine, he was cavalier throughout the entire ordeal, except for at the very end, when he began to feel like he just wasn’t ever going to get off of the machines and back home to finish his recovery. Even then, he kept his incredible sense of humor; he never got bitter about what was happening. As you said, he just got tired and he earned the right to stop fighting against the inevitable. The best analogy I can think of is watching somebody trying to swim upstream against a mighty current. My God, I can’t imagine a mightier man pitting his will against the forces of nature, and even to this moment I am still in a little bit of shock. Not over the fact that he has passed away, but that this is the first time I think that I ever recall seeing him square back his shoulders and go after something that he just couldn’t achieve. But please know that he did go peacefully. His one good day home was just incredible, like when Dorothy stepped out into the land of Oz for the first time. He relished everything in a new and wonderful way, carefully examining every wall hanging, every one of Mom’s decoupage works, his trophy case in the corner and each morsel of food that he ate. He was smiling when he went to sleep that night, and I pretty much knew that he wouldn’t be waking up in the morning. Have know doubt, Pat, that he knew (knows) how much you love him, and from a brother’s point of view, I want you to know that he loved you very, very much in a very special way that we Jaderborg men (sorry – you, too) could just never put into spoken word. You know how that goes. Dad had no favorites among us PJs, and I know for a fact that any feelings you may have about not living up to his expectations are untrue. All he ever asked us to do was our best, and even though Dad may not have agreed with every aspect of our respective lifestyles, as long as we were happy and staying out of trouble, then he was proud of us and happy for us. And don’t worry – he scared the crap out of all of us sometimes, except for maybe Paul when he got his dander up. But then, Paul has his own unique relationship with Dad, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the way we grew up or how we interacted with each other through the years. I’ve gotta go. Dad told me on the way back from town a little while ago that my car is filthy, and reminded me that I haven’t waxed it in almost a year. I picked up some car wash and some wax on the way home, and I’m going to go outside in the sunshine and do a damn good job of cleaning ‘er up. I’m pretty sure that I heard Dad say that he would hang out with me while I’m doing it and keep me company. Deep in my heart, I know that he has passed back over into pure positive energy, and I can see him now as a strong young man, the way he was when I was just a squirt and you were just hitting teenagehood. That is how I am remembering him right now, and I think that he likes that. Take care of yourself and keep up the good work. And don’t feel bad about not making it to the funeral. Dad will come to you and give you the opportunity to say goodbye, and he will always be around to give us advice and make sure that we don’t get too far off-track from where we know we want to be. He always was good at that… Current Mood: contemplative (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 18th, 2006
9:11 am	A Deserved Rest My father passed away. James E. Jaderborg, AKA Dad, "Humbug", and Jay among others. I just called him Dad. After being in the hospital since Christmas time (over 3 months), he finally asked the people to unhook all the junk and let him go home. They brought him home and set him up in a the hospital bed in the den, where Minipuss jumped up and lay between his legs for the first time since he left. She stayed there until the end. When dad got home, he asked for and got some fruit cocktail and Oreo cookies to go with a nice homemade cup of coffee. He watched some COPS on the TV with my youngest brother Phil sitting beside him. He then went to sleep. My Mom says that he stayed asleep, although he struggled a bit against the eyedropper she used to give him his pain and anxiety medication every few hours. Mom said that Friday he was still breathing, although he had not woken up for over a day. Her pastor came over and said a little prayer, and at the conclusion of the prayer, he passed away. Dad always said he wanted to die in his sleep, and he did just that. It was the first time in a long time he was at peace. His kidneys had failed, his eyesight was failing, and his transplanted lung was finally giving out. At 74, he was tired and ready to rest. I am glad he did so in peace. No, I won't be attending the funeral. Dad would not have wanted that. he thought it was important to celebrate and honor people when they were alive, and it was plain silly to put yourself into financial straits to put someone in the ground. If I knew exactly when he was going to pass, I would have tried to go earlier in order to say goodbye and tell him I love him. Now, he is gone. To go there for the funeral would have only cost me over $2000 which I don't have and jeopardize my job running the contracts here in the Far East. There really is nobody else who can do my job right now. My Dad had visited my Granddad before he passed away. The same with my Grandma. He didn't go back West for their funerals. My Mom and the rest of my family don't think I should go through the ordeal just to see his empty husk put into the ground. Right now, dad is probably teeing up with St. Peter on St. Andrew's golf course, or Heaven's version of it. A little reminiscing and random thoughts... Dad worked hard in his life raising three kids and managing a household, as well as doing his duty. When he was in the military, I remember he hurt his back and the doctors said that they didn't expect him to walk again. Those were the wrong words to use on Dad. he managed to get right back on his feet and back to work. After all, he had a family to support. And he always did that to the best of his ability. Dad never gave up. I always looked up to Dad. In some ways he was a hero to me, and in others, I was a little frightened of him, I guess. He always seemed larger than life, and I wanted to be like him, but always thought I could never be as good as he was. I remember him telling us kids that it didn't matter what we did, whether it was a some executive or a ditch digger. As long as we did it to the best of our abilities and that we could look in the mirror at night and tell ourselves we did and be proud of that. Dad was always seemed to know if we were doing our best or if we were slacking off. It took awhile to finally sink in, but he was my inspiration to be the best I could be. He used to call himself an ornery cuss, and we all knew that although he tried to put on a gruff exterior, he was compassionate. I remember in Newport News when Paul and I were fishing and some kids came across and stole our poles. Dad called the cops and we found out who the kids were. We went over and got back the poles, but Dad saw how the people lived and what they had, so after we got home, he pulled out some cane poles he had, rigged them up, went back and gave the poles to the kids. Dad didn't realize it, but he was a hero and an inspiration to me, especially when I finally matured enough to see it. Dad taught me determination, compassion, integrity, and love. He didn't lecture me on it. He didn't go into angry fits and tirades. he did it by doing it himself, which is the best teacher. When I screwed up in my life, especially with some of the dumb decisions when I was younger, he tried to help where he could, and sometimes added a word of advice. But he knew experience was better than any words. It took awhile, but I think it finally sank in. Dad, I know I could not be there with you in the final days, and even if I were able to grab a plane tonight, I know that all I would be too late. I am sorry. I just want to say I love you and that you did a pretty darned good job of raising us. I hope to be at least half as good as you are when I grow up. Dad, I love you always, Pat Current Mood: crushed/nostalgic/weepy (26 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 16th, 2006
8:53 am	Overdue Update I guess it's time to update this thing... I've been off of the boot and off crutches for about 3 weeks now. The leg still hurts and gets swollen during the day (edema), but I have actually walked a mile and get around almost normally, in spite of the aching at the end of the day. I have a hospital follow-up tomorrow, and I am interested to see what the pictures show this time. Current Mood: happy (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 23rd, 2005
8:55 pm	Giving me the Boot Well, we actually made it to Yongsan today for a follow up appointment. While en route (we started early, just in case), the doctor called. He had an emergency surgery this afternoon and wanted to see me early, if possible. I assured him we could get there early. As soon as we arrived, I worked my way back to the Orthopedic clinic. I no sooner signed in when the doctor waved me back into the cast room. Once there, he asked me to show my movement and was pleased to see that I had good motion in my knee and toes, and fair motion in my ankle. They removed my cast and the stitches, then fitted me with a 3D boot, which is a device that enveloped the leg in a kind of elastic felt. The bottom is soft rubber-lined stiff plastic that extends up both sides of the leg. The whole thing is fastened snugly by Velcro straps. Here is a link to the boot: http://www.djortho.com/products/DonJoy/patient/detail.asp?id=1 The nice thing is that I can remove the boot before going to sleep, and I can finally get a full bath! The doctor says I can try to walk on the leg, and to judge how much pain I can take. If I can get off the crutches and just use the boot, that is good. So I am working on it. It's a slow process, and I am a bit afraid to put weight on the leg for fear of messing something up. But I try. Current Mood: determined (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 15th, 2005
1:31 pm	Run around over a shoe, and other things. After I got home from the hospital, I realized that I had left my shoe behind. The right shoe was left with Brenda because they had to take it off of my broken leg, I had the left one removed while in the hospital at Yongsan. When I realized that we had forgotten it, I called the Care Unit and asked. They looked and sure enough, there it was in the room. I asked them to mail it to me (postage is free in country under the military system). They told me that the rules prohibit that, but that they would have it whenever I came by to pick up. Yesterday, I had a job at Yongsan. Once I got done, we decided to stop by the hospital and get the shoe, and have a word with the doctor. We couldn't find a parking place, so I told Brenda to let me off. I hobbled my way up the long walk on my crutches, and by the time I got in the door, I was cursing my heavy top and coat. I was soaked in sweat. Someone at the information desk was getting off, and I asked her about a wheelchair. She said they didn't have any, sorry. I kept trekking on my way to the MCU, stopping every once in awhile to catch my breath. Brenda caught up with me en route (the MCU is near the back of the hospital) and we finally made it there. I smiled and greeted the staff who had helped me while in the hospital. I also took off and passed my coat to Brenda. I asked about my shoe... "Oh, yeah! It's over... Ummm, wait. It WAS over here. Give us a moment." I asked if I could sit after a few minutes, and they directed us to the visitor's lounge. 30 minutes later, they could only account for the shoe for a couple of days. I told them that I would check back later and asked for directions to Orthopedics. After getting directions to even the farther reaches of the hospital, I asked if we could use a wheelchair to get there. "Sorry, those are reserved for patients". "Ooookay... Thanks." I mumbled and started hobbling off to the Orthopedic clinic. When I got there, I saw my doctor walking down the hall. He waived and said "Hi Sarge! How are you?" I waived back and told him I just had a couple quick questions. He told me to sign in and he'd make some time, which I did. The receptionist pointed out that I didn't have an appointment until the 21st, but I told her I was just following doctor's orders. The doctor outranks me, you see... My name was called immediately. I went back to the office. He decided to remove the cast and looked things over. He asked if I was exercising my knees and ankles and I showed him. he admonished me over the slightly swollen foot for standing/sitting up for more than a couple hours (I had ridden up by car about 6AM and had hobbled all over the hospital. It was almost 10AM). It was the first time I got to see my leg since the break. I have stitches up my knees where they inserted the rod, and stitches on either side of my legs where they inserted the screws. He thought about removing the stitches and putting a cast boot on, but I told him I had a regular appointment on the 21st and thought it would be better if we held off until then, and he agreed. The assistant made up another cast (even heavier then the first) and applied it. They found me a wheelchair and Brenda wheeled me out. I love this doctor. He's great. We then went to the PX. They happened to have a nice wheelchair for customers, and I made full use of it. Up and down the aisles, around the various sections, looking for clothes I can wear over the cast, misc. electronics, etc. My hands got a workout, as Brenda was pushing a shopping cart. Afterward, we picked up dome donuts from the new Krispy Kreme donut vendor outside the door (Yes people, Krispy Kreme is brand NEW to Korea!). When I got home, I was ready to put my leg up and call it a day. By the way, the Care Unit was unable to find my shoe. They thought I had picked mine up earlier and had thrown it away on one of those "other shifts". They asked for information so I could be reimbursed. How does one reimburse 1/2 a pair of new Velcro sneakers? Edit: I just received a call from the head of the department. She apologized and said that one of their neat-freak nurses got tired of seeing the shoe for more than a day or two and threw it out. She was councilled for the cation and I was told I could file a claim with their JAG department for reimbursement. I told her that it was not worth the time, money, and effort to do so, but thanks for the apology. Current Mood: Up and Down (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, December 12th, 2005
5:05 pm	Them's the breaks, or how I did the Drop, Pop, and Roll. It's been a week since it happened, so I might as well see if I can update my LJ on this. On the weekend of the 3rd, we had snow. The temp dropped and we couldn't get the car out Sunday. Monday morning, we did. The driveway is a dirt hillside, and it's pretty slick when buried snow. That afternoon, we picked up some ice melt. As soon as I got home, I started tossing out ice melt with a small hand shovel. I was at the top of the hill, next to the car. I got a shovel full and tossed the first shovel full down the first of the tire tracks. I then got another shovel full and as I as getting ready to toss it out, my ankle twisted. I was trying not to roll down the hill, so I tried to sit down. *SNAP*POP*FLOP* I knew I had broken my leg. Brenda came running up and I told her to open the back door of the car. I climbed into the car with 2 hands and my good leg and braced the bad one on my good one. I held onto the head rest and told her to drive me to the hospital. My lower leg flopped a bit if I tried to move it. Getting to the hospital, I was helped into a wheelchair. I was holding my bad leg braced on my good one. I rolled up the pants leg so that the people could see the skin. It was swollen, but not discolored, so I didn't break any vessels. Did it hurt? hard to tell. I jerked when the bone ends collided, but it throbbed. I was breathing hard and fast, trying not to let the shock get me. They X-rayed the leg and while I never saw one of the X-rays, Brenda did. I had popped my tibia like a chicken bone, two big pieces and one small one , and I had a spiral crack on my fibula. The people t the clinic st about creating a splint for my leg in order to get me ready for transport to Yongsan. I sent Brenda home to et my laptop and some underwear and other items I would need. The accident happened at about 16:15, and I wasn't loaded into an ambulance until a little after 1800. I was then asked to get ready for a 50 mile drive to the major hospital and asked if I wanted morphine throughout. Let me say this about morphine. I hate it. I am not a big fan of drugs. I have had to take a variety in my adult life to treat Lupus. I don't even take pain meds unless I NEED it. I've had morphine once before. No thanks, you can keep the stomach queasiness and everything. I asked for something like Tylenol or instead. Back to the story. I was loaded into an ambulance and "enjoyed" a trip to Yongsan. Although the leg was splinted, the bones still banged and bumped on every speed bump on the way. I chatted with the technician in the back to stay awake and called Brenda on the cell to email my customers, updating them on the situation. We arrived at Yongsan around 2100. Time was a bit hazy. I was wheeled in for more X-rays, and the Orthopedic doctor on call came in to work on my leg. They put me in a cast that went from my foot to my hip. The most painful was the assistants aligning my bones for casting. It HURT when they jiggled, and my leg would start jerking. The doctor as upset that it took so long to get me there. he said they should have flown me via helicopter. I gave him a rundown of times and what people did. I wasn't blaming anyone. They were trying to help. It was almost midnight when I was wheeled into a hospital bed and admitted. The next morning, the chief orthopedic surgeon came by to talk to me. He told me I had a choice. I could wear a total leg cast for the next several months or opt for surgery. Pros for the full cast: The leg was already pretty straight, no chance of infection. Cons: Little mobility, and my leg might twist out of alignment. Pros for surgery: Pin and screws guarantee a straight leg and a cast to the knee. faster healing. Cons: Greater chance of infection and complications from surgery. I chose the surgery. Which was done Tuesday afternoon, since I had not eaten since monday noon. The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was spent recovering from fever, fighting fever and just trying to get well enough to go home. I was released Thursday afternoon. Brenda was in Seoul and picked me up. We stopped by one of the support offices, then back home. And... here I sit. I am trying hard to get used to crutches, and Sunday, went to see Harry Potter, for my first outing. It was the last day showing. I will be months in recovery, but thanks to Brenda, still able to work. Current Mood: sore (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 18th, 2005
12:30 pm	Now I can agree with this. Onward, moderate Christian soldiers Our faith calls us to tolerance and healing of divisions by John Danforth It would be an oversimplification to say that America's culture wars are now between people of faith and nonbelievers. People of faith are not of one mind, whether on specific issues like stem-cell research and government intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo or the more general issue of how religion relates to politics. In recent years, conservative Christians have presented themselves as representing the one authentic Christian perspective on politics. With due respect for our conservative friends, equally devout Christians come to very different conclusions. It is important for those of us who are sometimes called moderates to make the case that we, too, have strongly held Christian convictions, that we speak from the depths of our beliefs and that our approach to politics is at least as faithful as that of those who are more conservative. Our difference concerns the extent to which government should, or even can, translate religious beliefs into the laws of the state. People of faith have the right, and perhaps the obligation, to bring their values to bear in politics. Many conservative Christians approach politics with a certainty that they know God's truth and that they can advance the kingdom of God through governmental action. So they have developed a political agenda that they believe advances God's kingdom, one that includes efforts to "put God back" into the public square and to pass a constitutional amendment intended to protect marriage from the perceived threat of homosexuality. Moderate Christians are less certain about when and how our beliefs can be translated into statutory form, not because of a lack of faith in God, but because of a healthy acknowledgement of the limitations of human beings. Like conservative Christians, we attend church, read the Bible and say our prayers. But for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we find that the Love Commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws. We struggle to follow that commandment as we face the realities of everyday living, and we do not agree that our responsibility to live as Christians can be codified by legislators. When, on television, we see a person in a persistent vegetative state, one who will never recover, we believe that allowing the natural and merciful end to her ordeal is more loving than imposing government power to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube. When we see an opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem-cell research, we believe that it is our duty to pursue that research and to oppose legislation that would impede us from doing so. We think that efforts to haul references of God into the public square, into schools and courthouses, are far more apt to divide Americans than to advance faith. Following a Lord who reached out in compassion to all human beings, we oppose amending the Constitution in a way that would humiliate homosexuals. For us, living the Love Commandment may be at odds with efforts to encapsulate Christianity in a political agenda. We strongly support the separation of church and state, both because that principle is essential to holding together a diverse country and because the policies of the state always fall short of the demands of faith. Aware that even our most passionate ventures into politics are efforts to carry the treasure of religion in the earthen vessel of government, we proceed in a spirit of humility lacking in our conservative colleagues. In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility. By contrast, moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth. We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics. For us, religion should be inclusive, and it should seek to bridge the differences that separate people. We do not exclude from worship those whose opinions differ from ours. Following a Lord who sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, we welcome to the Lord's table all who would come. Following a Lord who cited love of God and love of neighbor as encompassing all the commandments, we reject a political agenda that displaces that love. Christians who hold these convictions ought to add their clear voice of moderation to the debate on religion in politics. To respond to this column, write to Episcopal Life or e-mail commentary@episcopal-life.org. We welcome your own commentary at the same address. -- John C. Danforth, an Episcopal priest, formerly served as Republican senator from Missouri and Ambassador to the United Nations. Current Mood: good (Comment on this)
Friday, October 7th, 2005
7:30 am	Coincidence? I wonder. Gee, it sounds like the same old thing... Bush's ratings go down. People start questioning his policies. Bush gives "THE" speech: Stay the course, Al Quaida in Iraq, Fight them there not here. Terror alert goes up and threats are perceived. The next logical step (it's worked every time with the sheeple) is: OMG! Bush is insightful and timely on his "war on terror". All bow down and worship him! B-a-a-a-a-h... Same old routine. Especially when everything else goes sour. Wave the "Terrorist" banner. It sounds like Tail gunner Joe McCarthy and Communists. The United States USED to be "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave". Now it is getting to be "The Land of the Police State and Home of the Scared." You may go back to your snack chips and reality TV now. This doesn't affect you in Peoria. By the time it does, it'll be far too late anyway. Current Mood: disgusted (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 19th, 2005
5:00 pm	Now THAT is a cat! I read this and HAD to pass it along. I laughed SO HARD that I almost had to change my underwear. Please note that this is posted exactly as it was written, and there are a few rough words in there. http://www.craigslist.com/about/best/det/94074271.html detroit.craigslist.org > rants & raves > Free to a Good Home last modified:Mon Aug 29 07:36:30 2005 email this posting to a friend Free to a Good Home Reply to: anon-94074271@craigslist.org Date: Mon Aug 29 07:33:54 2005 So I have this cat. Actually it’s my girlfriend’s cat. Actually we have two, a small grey tabby named T**** that is a blast to have around, and the “other one”. It’s corpulent, bright orange and has medium length hair, so of course to me it’s name has only ever been Fat Bastard. (I’m not kidding, this cat is obese enough that it’s gut leaves it’s own trail in the middle of it’s footprints after I vacuum the carpet, uniformly triangulating the food dish, the litter box, and the hammock it has steamrollered for itself in my underwear hamper) Fat Bastard has a problem. It’s very existence revolves solely around consuming anything organic. I mean anything. We can’t have real plants anymore, not even cactus. (My girlfriend didn’t laugh when I, tired of the green vomit, suggested Poinsettias) We have all of the food stored in cupboards that have child locks on them. Opening the fridge involves holding a broom. (I’d love to teach the fucker a lesson by trapping it in there for a little bit, but beyond the cessation of all sexual activity when my girlfriend finds out, I’m pretty sure this thing is as well-insulated as a walrus and I’d only open the door and discover carnage, not to mention fuzzy rage propelling itself to freedom with one of it’s signature exertion farts) We have a bungee cord holding the lid on the trash can, which also happens to be attached to the wall to prevent, as my girlfriend calls it, “accidental tipping”. Ordering pizza involves trapping it in a bedroom, then listening to it scratch furiously at the door as soon as it gets a whiff of oregano. It drinks pop. We can’t walk away from the stove while preparing a meal, as even scalding hot pots and pans have proven no match for it’s powerful, powerful lust. I love bacon, yet it’s become contraband since the “incident”. (Which my girlfriend still somehow regards as my fault, as if I encouraged the fucking thing to snatch sizzling bacon right out of the pan, headfirst, then tear-ass around the house alternating between muted howling and ragged, gasping swallows.) It has, on a number of occasions, snarfed an entire pack of cigarettes. Christ, this cat has eaten soap that smelled like melon. It was entertaining at first, playing the “Let’s see what we can get in there” game, but when this fucking beast blew right through wasabi, jalapenos, mustard, lemons, live grasshoppers, Skittles, and an extra-shot latte, I got the point. I’m tired of having to treat simple food items like they’re plutonium. I miss having a bag of chips or a cold pizza on the coffee table while I’m watching the game. I’m fed up with having to wait to do laundry because the basement has been fouled by a particularly rank dump. Enough is enough. If you want her, she’s yours. The girlfriend or the cat, it’s your call… (Either way, you don’t even have to get out of the car; I’ll just unwrap a Kraft single and throw it in the backseat.) Please, help a guy out… this is in or around the end of my rope no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests Copyright © 2005 craigslist, inc. Current Mood: Laughing Fits (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, September 10th, 2005
11:02 pm	Sometimes it's amusing how things happen. Funny what happens when they run those little crawls across the bottom of the screen... ;) Yes, that's a real picture: http://www.snopes.com/photos/katrina/disaster.asp Current Mood: amused (4 Comments |Comment on this)