***** On Religion.... When Religion moves from 'as if' it were True, to 'IT IS THE TRUTH' it moves from Life Giving to Death Giving... Religion is NEVER the Truth, Reality. And... It is virtually impossible for a human to exist without a 'religion' - world view, understanding of how things work, belief system. "Fundamentalism" is the genocidal problem. (click for detail)

(the following is far from neatly written and thought out but it is an explosive advance, for me, this afternoon, in terms of my understanding of these issues)

When Religion moves from 'as if' it were True, to 'IT IS THE TRUTH' it moves from Life Giving to Death Giving

Religion is often on my mind because it is central to the single greatest evil on earth today - the slow torture genocide of my Muslim / Christian family in Palestine by Fundamentalist US christians and Israeli jews.  This is forcing me into study of Islam, Judaism, fundamentalism (christian and jewish)... that otherwise I would not undertake:

Human Religion is NEVER the Truth, Reality because we Humans are in imperfect species.

And... It is virtually impossible for a human to exist without a 'Religion' - world view, understanding of how things work, belief system.

And it is Impossible to Thrive Spiritually and Physically without a comprehensive, healthy, Holistic, Truth-Approximating Religion that enables one to keep all aspects of their needs as humans optimally met, and those of the people they influence, most importantly young-ones. (Adamant 'Blindness' to this is maybe the most fatal flaw of the Left.)

One of the greatest scientific minds, EO Wilson, is in the news recent days for his stance in an upcoming book that the world is dying from religion. I often have this thought.  But seeing this from him makes me recall that no one does not have a 'religion,' a 'belief system,' a way of 'seeing and understanding' the world. 

What may well destroy the world, and what DOES destroy any individual 'spiritually' (the only existence that matters) is not Religion, which is Indispensable and Unavoidable, but Fundamentalism, that is, when one  moves from understanding that their way of seeing the world is NOT REALITY, NOT TRUE... that the world, the Creator, is REAL, TRUE, and that our religion at best can only approximate that Truth, Reality... to the error of 'believing' their Religion to be True, Realty, and therefore 1. The Only True religion (all others being inferior) and 2. Dead, Fixed, no longer moving closer to the Truth, Reality... and probably 'Killing' anyone and anything that IS moving toward them.  Making this mistake is the False Idol that Jesus spoke of, and the 'Tribal' religions that cause so many genocidal wars.  Making this mistake is when 'religion' becomes 'dry as dust,' or, 'a social club with a thin veneer of reality,' whether this fatal mistake is made by a christian, jew, scientist or atheist, liberal or conservative.  

The US left, Liberals, are mostly Fundamentalists.  They believe they know the Truth - education, science, equality, rationality... whatever.

The US right conservatives are mostly Fundamentalists - 'christian' (they couldn't be more anti-Christlike), terrified of change, 'religiously' selfish in principal... whatever.

The one in a million Great Humans are so exactly because they never make the Deadly Error of becoming Fundamentalist in their Belief. 

All Fundamentalist make themselves less than human, sub-human, truly 'Dead,' Dead to moving closer to Reality, Truth... they surrender their 'Image' as children of the Creator by taking on their Fundamentalists beliefs as Truth, Reality, rather than Facing, Embracing that their Religion is at best a means of best living even though we can never know Truth, Reality being the imperfect beings that we are... and that their Religion can, and needs to, constantly improve, move more toward the Truth, Reality.

Fundamentalism is clinical delusion, insanity, mental illness.  It is divorce from reality, truth... that we can never know Reality, Truth.

Fundamentalism of the left, the liberals, academic elites... is destroying all life on earth materially and destroying much human goodness by ignoring the moral limits and boundaries the human needs for Health and Survival.

Fundamentalism on the right, the conservatives... is destroying life regionally - christian Fundamentalists exterminating a million in Iraq, torturing millions in Palestine, literally trying to bring about Armageddon.  muslim fundamentalists are killing thousands in Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria.... jewish fundamentalists are driving much of the US christian Fundamentalist insanity and mid-east Islamic Fundamentalist insanity. Fundamentalists on the right are thereby moving us to global annihilation by nuclear war.

Ending Greece’s Nightmare

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/opinion/paul-krugman-ending-greeces-nightmare.html?referrer=

posted from Bloggeroid

***** A recent experience: A Homeless cell-mate of mine, Peter, I'll call him, mid 50's clean off probation since 2008, has EVERY DAY placed numerious applicaitons for work (sh*t jobs mopping floors, anything) for 8 months now. Breaks my heart. I've watched him. Two churches come to the shelter every weekend. I told a man in each of Peter's need for work. One said, "Tell him about Jesus." The other one said, "Tell him to see me and I'll see what I can do." In effect, one said 'Tell him about Jesus,' the other said, in effect, 'Bring him to me, I'll SHOW him about Jesus.' Which one is the man of God? (Subsequently the 2nd man began producing 'real' opportunities for Peter, giving Peter his phone number (he is a mid level computer executive), staying in regular phone contact TO Peter. Peters begins his new job at a nursing home next week.)

A recent experience:  A Homeless cell-mate of mine, Peter, I'll call him, mid 50's clean off probation since 2008, has EVERY DAY placed numerious applicaitons for work (sh*t jobs mopping floors, anything) for 8 months now.  Breaks my heart. I've watched him. Two churches come to the shelter every weekend.  I told a man in each of Peter's need for work.  One said, "Tell him about Jesus." The other one said, "Tell him to see me and I'll see what I can do."  In effect, one said 'Tell him about Jesus,' the other said, in effect, 'Bring him to me, I'll SHOW him about Jesus.'  Which one is the man of God?  (Subsequently the 2nd man began producing 'real' opportunities for Peter, giving Peter his phone number (he is a mid level computer executive), staying in regular phone contact TO Peter.  Peters begins his new job at a nursing home next week.)

***** NYT Paul Krugman: Hating Good Government

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/opinion/paul-krugman-hating-good-government.html

***** nd.***** Laughable, amateur non-events are Hitler, the Nazis, the Holocaust, and their pitiful attempts at world domination compared with the monstrosity that is the Zionist, Netanyahu... (crucial detail, click link)...

***** Laughable, amateur non-events are Hitler, the Nazis, the Holocaust, and their pitiful attempts at  world domination compared with the monstrosity that is the Zionist, Netanyahu, cancer that has all but fully corrupted the U.S. government, the world governments...    so far killing millions of Muslims, Arabs, torturing tens of millions, killing them tortuously, savagely  over decades instead of the mercifully swift death by the Nazis.  The Nazis mounted a mere external physical threat.  The brilliance of the Zionists this last hundred years is their plan to infect, corrupt, metastasize within and then thru terror control the governments of the world. It may be too late to stop them.  They have corrupted the godly religion of Judaism.  They have hijacked the KKK fundamentalist wing of the Christian religion, and as did Hitler, sufficiently terrorized the other Christians into cowardly impotent silence, and has enlisted them in all but world war three against the Arab Muslim population of the world.

I wouldn't trade this ride I am on for anything... at it is Living Hell for me, and must be pretty horrible for those traveling near to me.

I wish on all that is Good that this were even the tiniest exaggeration.  I don't know what lies ahead for me.  I may not be on their radar. I may be a joke to them.  I may be on their target list when they see a way to silence me... courts and prisons, or whatever.  That part doesn't particularly concern me.  I've never been afraid of death. I was terrified of pain much of my years... but I am in so much pain over the world and what we are doing to my Palestine family... that the pain of what they would do to me in prison is not much of a concern by comparison.

I'm healing physically but between the cancer operations and the moment by moment bludgeoning, body blows, bullet hits... I experience from the next news horror story from Palestine, I barely have the strength to do the online work I've been confined to for a month now.  Yesterday I was a 'high' physically and mentally... and I hoped it was a harbinger of how I'd feel today.  Not so.  But I think the trend line is positive enough that at least a few days a week I can get out in the city with the posters, tomorrow and Wed. on Capital Hill I am praying.

My news processing, digesting, commenting work seems to take everything out of me... I've been trying to move from it to deep study... and maybe I'm finally on the verge of that for several weeks... that may free up the energy I need for the vigilling with this poster, in particular (see pic).  If I can get it and keep it on Capitol Hill long enough... I think it could bring about an important change.  I think it so embodies the Satanic, Demonic truth of this situation... it could bring a change.

Yes, I owe to all to overcome my 'accepting' nature and EMBRACE and hold onto an active disrespect for the cancer that is destroying it all... and my Love for each individual of course will never change.

Deep sigh.

Nd. We in the West are the sickest population, the most addicted to the killers that are recreational sex and the deadly concept of nuclear family, we are the most deathly, most dead population in history. If you are one of the rare people that is more than lip service, you would be lucky in ten years if one person joins you, or two. It will take a miracle for us to move in a different direction in time. The few people alive today, by definition, what they want more than anything else is to be a chance at working that miracle. To be a possible instrument for that miracle. To attract many people to participate in the illusion of real change is quite easy. But true change? The task ahead is the equivalent of raising live bodies from a graveyard.

We in the West are the sickest population, the most addicted to the killers that are recreational sex and the deadly concept of nuclear family, we are the most deathly, most dead population in history. If you are one of the rare people that is more than lip service, you would be lucky in ten years if one person joins you, or two. It will take a miracle for us to move in a different direction in time. The few people alive today, by definition, what they want more than anything else is to be a chance at working that miracle. To be a possible instrument for that miracle. To attract many people to participate in the illusion of real change is quite easy. But true change? The task ahead is the equivalent of raising live bodies from a graveyard.

posted from Bloggeroid

What Will Israel Become?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/opinion/sunday/roger-cohen-what-will-israel-become.html?referrer=

posted from Bloggeroid

***** Why I Won’t Serve Israel

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/opinion/why-i-wont-serve-israel.html?referrer=

posted from Bloggeroid

****** ISRAEL'S 'NYTIMES' HAARETZ: " Israel cannot allow itself another Netanyahu term For three terms as PM, Netanyahu proved he has neither the ability nor the intention to solve the 47-year-old tragedy of Israel's occupation. He is unfit for the job."

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.635698

***** ‘It is time to make it costly for Palestinians,’ Ross warns in NYT; and readers reject his argument

http://mondoweiss.net/2015/01/palestinians-readers-argument?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=dfwb6B&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook#!dfwb6B

posted from Bloggeroid

***** vid. Moyers and company. 'Children's climate crusade.' I do not recall seeing anything as hopeful as this in years.

http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-climate-crusade/

posted from Bloggeroid

nd. FB post to a Muslim sister for whom I have considerable respect, and from whose posts I profit: "I NEVER do anything to be 'disrespectful,' including making comments or posts that maybe directly conflict with the views of others. And I only bother commenting on the posts of the very few other people for whom I have considerable respect, such as you; or to whom I feel an obligation to comment. I believe we are at a point in history where our 'polite' shaving of the Truths as we see them, is doom. When I lose 'friends' as a consequence of speaking the Truth unvarnished as I understand it, at all costs (lost a 'friend' yesterday over this) I feel deep sadness and loss, but my respect and Love for the other person is never reduced. And I am relieved when those who find it too painful to travel near me, drop off, and so protect themselves."

FB post to a Muslim sister for whom I have considerable respect, and from whose posts I profit:  "I NEVER do anything to be 'disrespectful,' including making comments or posts that maybe directly conflict with the views of others.  And I only bother commenting on the posts of the very few other people for whom I have considerable respect, such as you; or to whom I feel an obligation to comment.  I believe we are at a point in history where our 'polite' shaving of the Truths as we see them, is doom.  When I lose 'friends' as a consequence of speaking the Truth unvarnished as I understand it, at all costs (lost a 'friend' yesterday over this) I feel deep sadness and loss, but my respect and Love for the other person is never reduced.  And I am relieved when those who find it too painful to travel near me, drop off, and so protect themselves."

NYTimes writer (ret) Chris Hedges is blackballed by Penn after likening ISIS to Israel - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/blacklisted-likening-israel#sthash.SrPoeGKt.dpuf

Chris Hedges is blackballed by Penn after likening ISIS to Israel - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/blacklisted-likening-israel#sthash.SrPoeGKt.dpuf

(as I've been saying....) nd. "When I have considered the enormity of the white man’s crimes against humanity—against women, against every living person of color, against the poor, against my mother and my father, against me … when I consider that at this very moment he wishes to take away what little freedom I have died to achieve, through denial of my right to vote … When I consider that he is, they are, a real and present threat to my life and the life of my daughter, my people—I think, in perfect harmony with my sisters of long ago—Let the Earth marinate in poisons. Let the bombs cover the ground like rain. For nothing short of total destruction will ever teach them anything. And it would be good, perhaps, to put an end to this species in any case, rather than let the white man continue to subjugate it, and continue to let their lust dominate, exploit and despoil not just our planet, but the rest of the universe, which is their clear and oft-stated intention—leaving their arrogance and litter not just on the moon, but on everything they can reach. If we have any true love for the stars, planets, the rest of Creation, we must do everything we can to keep the white man away from them. They who have appointed themselves our representatives to the rest of the universe; they who have never met any new creature without exploiting, abusing and destroying it; they who say we poor and colored and female and elderly blight neighborhoods, while they blight worlds. What they have done to the Old, they will do to the New. Under the white man every star would become a South Africa, every planet a Vietnam. Fatally irradiating ourselves may in fact be the only way to save others from what Earth has already become. And this is a consideration that I believe requires some serious though from every one of us. However, just as the sun shines on the godly and the ungodly alike, so does nuclear radiation. And with this knowledge it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace the thought of extinction purely for the assumed satisfaction of—from the grave—achieving revenge. Or even of accepting our demise as a planet as a simple and preventative medicine administered to the universe. Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it. In any case, Earth is my home—though for centuries white people have tried to convince me I have no right to exist, except in the dirtiest, darkest corners of the globe. So let me tell you: I intend to protect my home." ~ Alice Walker

"When I have considered the enormity of the white man’s crimes against humanity—against women, against every living person of color, against the poor, against my mother and my father, against me … when I consider that at this very moment he wishes to take away what little freedom I have died to achieve, through denial of my right to vote … When I consider that he is, they are, a real and present threat to my life and the life of my daughter, my people—I think, in perfect harmony with my sisters of long ago—Let the Earth marinate in poisons. Let the bombs cover the ground like rain. For nothing short of total destruction will ever teach them anything.

And it would be good, perhaps, to put an end to this species in any case, rather than let the white man continue to subjugate it, and continue to let their lust dominate, exploit and despoil not just our planet, but the rest of the universe, which is their clear and oft-stated intention—leaving their arrogance and litter not just on the moon, but on everything they can reach.

If we have any true love for the stars, planets, the rest of Creation, we must do everything we can to keep the white man away from them. They who have appointed themselves our representatives to the rest of the universe; they who have never met any new creature without exploiting, abusing and destroying it; they who say we poor and colored and female and elderly blight neighborhoods, while they blight worlds.

What they have done to the Old, they will do to the New.
Under the white man every star would become a South Africa, every planet a Vietnam.

Fatally irradiating ourselves may in fact be the only way to save others from what Earth has already become. And this is a consideration that I believe requires some serious though from every one of us.

However, just as the sun shines on the godly and the ungodly alike, so does nuclear radiation. And with this knowledge it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace the thought of extinction purely for the assumed satisfaction of—from the grave—achieving revenge. Or even of accepting our demise as a planet as a simple and preventative medicine administered to the universe. Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it. In any case, Earth is my home—though for centuries white people have tried to convince me I have no right to exist, except in the dirtiest, darkest corners of the globe.

So let me tell you: I intend to protect my home." ~ Alice Walker

Must read. Oil’s Swift Fall Raises Fortunes of U.S. Abroad

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/world/europe/oils-swift-fall-raises-fortunes-of-us-abroad.html?mwrsm=Email&_r=0&referrer=

posted from Bloggeroid

Nyt. There is a still-powerful political faction in America committed to the view that conquest pays, and that in general the way to be strong is to act tough and make other people afraid. One suspects, by the way, that this false notion of power was why the architects of war made torture routine — it wasn’t so much about results as about demonstrating a willingness to do whatever it takes.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/opinion/paul-krugman-putin-neocons-and-the-great-illusion.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0&referrer=

posted from Bloggeroid

article. NYT Paul Krugman warns severe austerity measures are pushing countries to brink of fascism

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/paul-krugman-warns-severe-austerity-measures-are-pushing-countries-to-brink-of-fascism/

***** article. As US media awake to a ‘nightmare’ Israel, NYT brings Blumenthal in from the cold - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/nightmare-brings-blumenthal#sthash.MKXFKiCF.dpuf

As US media awake to a ‘nightmare’ Israel, NYT brings Blumenthal in from the cold - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/12/nightmare-brings-blumenthal#sthash.MKXFKiCF.dpuf

article. Pacific trade pact chances 'significantly' better than 50-50: Obama. (Pr. Obama - with this all your credibility with me could be destroyed. I cannot conceive how TTP is anything but a gift of the world economy to the already criminally wealthy, corporate, fascist interests. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/11/us-usa-trade-obama-idUSKBN0JP25H20141211)

Pr. Obama - with this all your credibility with me could be destroyed.  I cannot conceive how TTP is anything but a gift of the world economy to the already criminally wealthy, corporate, fascist interests.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/11/us-usa-trade-obama-idUSKBN0JP25H20141211

NYTimes: There Are No Centrists in Israel

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/12/07/if-israel-turns-right-where-will-it-end-up-12/there-are-no-centrists-in-israel