Do you really want a better government, not a bigger government? A government that represents you and your vote? One that does not cater to Big Business and the wealthy people who own it? So do I. So, if this is what you want, stop moaning and groaning and start making it happen. Here's what Miss PittyPat would like to see.
Let's abolish the Electoral College. While we would like to think every vote counts, we have seen in the past few elections that this is not so. The Electoral College was established because our Founding Fathers, most of whom were well-educated, did not think the common man could cast an informed, intelligent vote due to their lack of education. Therefore everyone is allowed to vote, but the only votes that count are the people sent to the electoral college. Most of us are educated and able make an informed vote, based on the facts.
Then, we could all demand our men in Congress do an honest job, and work for us. Make lobbying by Big Business, such as Big Oil, Big Sugar, or Big Fruit, a federal offense. Demand that any Congressman found taking money from a lobbyist or the companies/people they represent be immediately censured by Congress, arrested and sent to jail. And not to Club Fed; to real prison, in the real population; along with the other crooks; for a long time.
While we're at it, have our representatives pass a law that no business, their officers or their employees are permitted to donate money for elections funds. Do away with PACs. Rarely do they represent the citizens of this country.
Pass a federal law that any representative of the people and their staff will be out of a job if they do not do their job. That is every two years for a Congressman and every six years for a Senator, in case you forgot your Civics ;-D. Let's demand a law that no member, or his staff, of Congress is allowed to EVER take a job with a business they have voted for or against when making laws. Now they only have to wait 180 days, and then they can be hired or appointed to a place of power. Sounds like a bribe to me.
Demand that anyone or any business and their officers found defrauding the government of the United States be punished severely. I don't mean some piddling little fine and a slap on the hand. I mean, again, real confinement in a real prison, for a long time. In fact, let's make it a treasonable offense.
One of the first companies that would go under would be Halliburton and all its subsidiaries. They have been found guilty of overcharging the taxpayers for services, equipment and oil sent to Iraq. Their fine, over $4.0 mill. Their profit, almost $200 billion and counting.
Lest I be accused of bias, second on my list would be any hospital, corporation, or person who defrauds Medicare and Social Security. We see a lot of that in Florida. The offenders sometimes get off with a fine, one that is a drop in the bucket to what they have stolen from the taxpayers. One of the candidates in the present election in Florida fits that bracket. His corporation was fined for Medicare fraud, and he skated. Others get off with very light sentences in Club Fed, and when they get out, they are back in business again. Medicare has almost no oversight, and what it does have is inefficient and does not include medical professionals. They are more than three years behind in their audits. Their computers are worthless. Put doctors and nurses, who know how to spot overcharging on the oversight boards.
Just by implementing a few changes we can have better government. One that is more responsive and streamlined. One that saves the taxpayers, especially the middle class, much of their tax money. This is what I want to happen. It never will as long as we sit on our derrieres and do nothing.
This is Miss PittyPat's truth for today.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Do You Really Think That Bumper Sticker Is Funny?
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| Cartoon by Dave Walker - www.weblogcartoons.com |
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I first saw this cartoon on La Gringa's Blogicito here . I never thought I would use it. Bloggers sometime have to look for things to blog about. This time one of my friends handed it to me on a silver platter.
I was advised that there is a bumper sticker going around the US saying “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8”. That sounds nice, until you read Psalms 109 in its entirety. Then it is not so nice. I am not the only one who thinks so. If it said "Pray for Bush or McCain " I would still be offended. I would not care who was President, this is would still be offensive.
I think this should be conceived as a terrorist threat. Threatening the President is a felony under Federal law. If you get arrested, you can be put in jail without a lawyer; without habeas corpus; with no attorney, and they don't have to tell anyone where you are. Under the Patriot Act, you can be kept indefinitely. I know that everyone thinks that cannot happen, but it could. We gave up most of the protection of Bill of Rights when we let the Patriot Act become law.
First, I recommend reading the whole Psalm. You will see how that seemingly innocuous verse was taken out of context. People should read the whole chapter in the Bible before pulling out one verse that suits their needs. Mine favorite is, when I am in a turmoil, "And it came to pass......". I find that very comforting. The rest of the verse says, "Verse 41 when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary , the ( babe ) leaped in her womb ; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost
Christian Science Monitor says it is sinister here. ABC News says while it is offensive, it is protected speech here. USA Today, in its Faith & Reason column asks, Psalm 109:8 bumper stickers -- a wrong-hearted prayer for President Obama? and then asks, "In that context, are these folks actually urging us to pray for Obama's death?. here
The joke is actually on the people who think this is funny. If you to the beginning of the Psalm, you see that this is David praying to God and asking him to help him with his accusers, probably Saul and his advisers.
Psalms 109:1-3
(1) Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; (2) For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue. (3)They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.
Sound familiar? How about the accusations that President Obama is a socialist and trying to socialize the government? Not so. He is a Democrat, and he is a liberal. He is a man who was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth with a sliver spoon in his mouth. He knows there are many working poor who do not have basic health insurance because they cannot afford it. How about the accusations that it is his fault that the economy is so bad? Not so. The economy started to bottom out in 2008 before his term. How about the one that he is spending money faster than any president before him? Not so. The fiscal year for the US is from October-September. This is George Bush's budget until September 1, 2010. Then we will have an Obama budget, and he vows to make cuts.
In verse 6-7 David asks God to put an evil man over the accuser and let him be brought to justice.
Verses 8-20 are the scary part, Particularly verses 8-10.
Verse 9-10: (9) Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. (10. Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek their bread out of their desolate places.
Verse 9 is definitely a call for assassination. There is no other way for his children to be fatherless and begging in the streets and their mother, his wife a widow. Verses 10 is a curse on his children .
Verses 21-31 are verses of praise (psalms) to God, and asking God's blessing on him (David). I won't bore you with the various commentaries, but you can read them here .
One of my readers sent me these verses from 1 Timothy 2:1-4. According to her comment, Nero was in power when this was written. If St. Timothy could ask his flock to pray for Nero, we can pray for whomever in is the oval office, whether it be Democrat or Republican.
If someone put that on a bumper sticker I would buy one, even if no one here in Honduras could read it.
If you still think that horrible bumper sticker is funny, I will pray for you, that your eyes might be opened.
Tomorrow, I promise I won't quote the Bible so much. I do have something in mind.
This is Miss PittyPat's Truth for today
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Bible Mandates Respect for Our Government and our President
I said in my introduction that this blog would be controversial. I promised I would touch on religion, politics and other hot topics. With this post I will probably do all three. If I make you mad, I'm sorry you're mad; I'm pretty good at making people mad. I hope you got mad enough to read this all the way through, check my sources out, and see for yourself. I sincerely hope you will make comments that will urge people, including me, to think.
If you believe, as I do, the Bible was written by man, but inspired by God, and is the True Word of God, you should find the following interesting..
I will start with two commentaries, the first from John Wesley, 6/1703 - 3/2/1791. John Wesley was an Anglican cleric. He founded the Methodist movement, which became the Methodist Church. He established several churches in Georgia. The second is Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. Henry (10/18/1662 - 6/22/1714) was a Presbyterian Minister who wrote several commentaries on the Bible, and is studied in modern times..
Romans 13:1-2 New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves
Wesley's Comments: Thou shalt not revile the gods - That is, the judges and magistrates. Princes and magistrates are our fathers, whom the fifth commandment obligeth us to honour, and forbids us to revile. St. Paul applies this law to himself, and owns that he ought not speak evil of the ruler of his people, no, not though he was then his most unrighteous persecutor.
Whosoever resisteth the power - In any other manner than the laws of the community direct. Shall receive condemnation - Not only from the magistrate, but from God also.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: The grace of the gospel teaches us submission and quiet, where pride and the carnal mind see only causes for murmuring and discontent. Whatever the persons in authority over us themselves may be, yet the just power they have, must be submitted to and obeyed. In the general course of human affairs, rulers are not a terror to honest, quiet, and good subjects, but to evil-doers....
.......Thou hast the benefit of the government, therefore do what thou canst to preserve it, and nothing to disturb it. This directs private persons to behave quietly and peaceably where God has set them....The lesson here taught it becomes all Christians to learn and practise, that the godly in the land will always be found the quiet and the peaceable in the land, whatever others are. (Italics are mine)
You can read all the comments here:
http://bible.cc/romans/13-1.htm
http://bible.cc/romans/13-2.htm
There are many other supporting Bible verses. I could quote them all night and not get finished. Here is one I really like:
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
I think the Bible is pretty clear on showing respect for the government and the people in power. Yes, The verses say Princes, judges, magistrates, but the Romans, to whom St. Paul wrote, did not have Presidents, we do.
Romans 13:2 says we cannot resist a leader "In any other manner than the laws of the community direct." If you want to remove a President from office in the US the only ways are impeachment, voting him out of office, or proving he is mentally unfit.
You can protest in a lawful manner. You can campaign for those whom you think represent your ideals. You can vote for candidates you like. You can educate voters. You can provide rides, babysitting and other services on election day. There are many ways to get your voice heard without making yourself look bad when you are seen screaming like a banshee, refusing to allow people to speak by shouting them down. . This clearly says, to me, that placards and comments of a racial nature, and showing President Obama as a monkey fall directly into that category, are against God's Word. So is making fun of his wife, or his children.
To my friends in the conservative Christian right, and I do have some. When I see the above behavior, I think to myself that if you were the only model I have for what a Christian is all about I would turn and run in the other direction. I am sure there are others who feel the same way, because I have heard them say so. That was was caught my eye in Henry's comment, where he wrote: The lesson here taught it becomes all Christians to learn and practise, that the godly in the land will always be found the quiet and the peaceable in the land, whatever others are. (Italics are mine)
Sending all these nasty emails that are not true is in violation of of the 6th Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor". It is so easy to just hit the forward button on your email program, but before you do, how about taking a couple of minutes to go to http://www.factcheck.org/ or http://www.snopes.com/, or any other fact checking sight you want that is unbiased, and check it out. If it is false, and all of the ones I have received have been false, then stop it right there on your desk.
The last one I received was labeled something like, "don't let the Post Office fool you with pretty stamps." It went on to say that the Post Office was going to issue a stamp with butterflies on it to commemorate a Muslim holiday, and this stamp was being pushed on the Post Office by President Obama.
It turns out that this stamp was issued 8 years ago, 1 year and 3 months after 9/11, and was approved by GWB.
"Bush himself marked Eid al-Fitr with an address at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, 2002, in which he praised the spirit of the day:
George W. Bush, Dec. 5, 2002: The spirit behind this holiday is a reminder that Islam brings hope and comfort to more than a billion people worldwide. Islam affirms God’s justice and insists on man’s moral responsibility. This holiday is also an occasion to remember that Islam gave birth to a rich civilization of learning that has benefitted mankind.
Bush issued statements of personal greetings to Muslims in connection with the Eid al-Fitr holiday not only in 2002, but again in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and his final year in office, 2008."
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/muslim-stamp/
Note that I did not take anything out of context, so I would appreciate that you do me the same courtesy.
This is Miss PittyPat's Truth for today
If you believe, as I do, the Bible was written by man, but inspired by God, and is the True Word of God, you should find the following interesting..
I will start with two commentaries, the first from John Wesley, 6/1703 - 3/2/1791. John Wesley was an Anglican cleric. He founded the Methodist movement, which became the Methodist Church. He established several churches in Georgia. The second is Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. Henry (10/18/1662 - 6/22/1714) was a Presbyterian Minister who wrote several commentaries on the Bible, and is studied in modern times..
Romans 13:1-2 New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves
Wesley's Comments: Thou shalt not revile the gods - That is, the judges and magistrates. Princes and magistrates are our fathers, whom the fifth commandment obligeth us to honour, and forbids us to revile. St. Paul applies this law to himself, and owns that he ought not speak evil of the ruler of his people, no, not though he was then his most unrighteous persecutor.
Whosoever resisteth the power - In any other manner than the laws of the community direct. Shall receive condemnation - Not only from the magistrate, but from God also.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: The grace of the gospel teaches us submission and quiet, where pride and the carnal mind see only causes for murmuring and discontent. Whatever the persons in authority over us themselves may be, yet the just power they have, must be submitted to and obeyed. In the general course of human affairs, rulers are not a terror to honest, quiet, and good subjects, but to evil-doers....
.......Thou hast the benefit of the government, therefore do what thou canst to preserve it, and nothing to disturb it. This directs private persons to behave quietly and peaceably where God has set them....The lesson here taught it becomes all Christians to learn and practise, that the godly in the land will always be found the quiet and the peaceable in the land, whatever others are. (Italics are mine)
You can read all the comments here:
http://bible.cc/romans/13-1.htm
http://bible.cc/romans/13-2.htm
There are many other supporting Bible verses. I could quote them all night and not get finished. Here is one I really like:
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
I think the Bible is pretty clear on showing respect for the government and the people in power. Yes, The verses say Princes, judges, magistrates, but the Romans, to whom St. Paul wrote, did not have Presidents, we do.
Romans 13:2 says we cannot resist a leader "In any other manner than the laws of the community direct." If you want to remove a President from office in the US the only ways are impeachment, voting him out of office, or proving he is mentally unfit.
You can protest in a lawful manner. You can campaign for those whom you think represent your ideals. You can vote for candidates you like. You can educate voters. You can provide rides, babysitting and other services on election day. There are many ways to get your voice heard without making yourself look bad when you are seen screaming like a banshee, refusing to allow people to speak by shouting them down. . This clearly says, to me, that placards and comments of a racial nature, and showing President Obama as a monkey fall directly into that category, are against God's Word. So is making fun of his wife, or his children.
To my friends in the conservative Christian right, and I do have some. When I see the above behavior, I think to myself that if you were the only model I have for what a Christian is all about I would turn and run in the other direction. I am sure there are others who feel the same way, because I have heard them say so. That was was caught my eye in Henry's comment, where he wrote: The lesson here taught it becomes all Christians to learn and practise, that the godly in the land will always be found the quiet and the peaceable in the land, whatever others are. (Italics are mine)
Sending all these nasty emails that are not true is in violation of of the 6th Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor". It is so easy to just hit the forward button on your email program, but before you do, how about taking a couple of minutes to go to http://www.factcheck.org/ or http://www.snopes.com/, or any other fact checking sight you want that is unbiased, and check it out. If it is false, and all of the ones I have received have been false, then stop it right there on your desk.
The last one I received was labeled something like, "don't let the Post Office fool you with pretty stamps." It went on to say that the Post Office was going to issue a stamp with butterflies on it to commemorate a Muslim holiday, and this stamp was being pushed on the Post Office by President Obama.
It turns out that this stamp was issued 8 years ago, 1 year and 3 months after 9/11, and was approved by GWB.
"Bush himself marked Eid al-Fitr with an address at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, 2002, in which he praised the spirit of the day:
George W. Bush, Dec. 5, 2002: The spirit behind this holiday is a reminder that Islam brings hope and comfort to more than a billion people worldwide. Islam affirms God’s justice and insists on man’s moral responsibility. This holiday is also an occasion to remember that Islam gave birth to a rich civilization of learning that has benefitted mankind.
Bush issued statements of personal greetings to Muslims in connection with the Eid al-Fitr holiday not only in 2002, but again in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and his final year in office, 2008."
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/muslim-stamp/
Note that I did not take anything out of context, so I would appreciate that you do me the same courtesy.
This is Miss PittyPat's Truth for today
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Welcome to Miss PittyPat's Truth
Welcome to Miss PittyPat's Truth. This the place where I will look for and publish truths in refute of the many emails I get that are full of misinformation, the posts I see elsewhere that promote discord, and the things I seen the news that make me angry.. I promise to be fair to both sides of an argument, but I will state what I think is the truth, and give you the documentation so you can do your own research.
This blog is meant to be confrontational. Subjects that will be covered will be all those that your mother told you not to discuss with your friends. Well, here is the place to discuss them. Religion, politics, all of them.
Some people will be uncomfortrable and others willl be greatly offended. I apologize if you are offended, but not for what was said. I hope most of you will be incited to do your own research, and come to your own truths.
I invite you to read what I have to say, and urge you to make comments, as long as they are civil in nature. Any comment that is abusive will be deleted and the author will be asked to resubmit his comment in another form.
This blog is meant to be confrontational. Subjects that will be covered will be all those that your mother told you not to discuss with your friends. Well, here is the place to discuss them. Religion, politics, all of them.
Some people will be uncomfortrable and others willl be greatly offended. I apologize if you are offended, but not for what was said. I hope most of you will be incited to do your own research, and come to your own truths.
I invite you to read what I have to say, and urge you to make comments, as long as they are civil in nature. Any comment that is abusive will be deleted and the author will be asked to resubmit his comment in another form.
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