Just What is PC?

I just wrote a comment on a forum about the concept of "PC", otherwise known as political correctness.  PC is a term bandied about by Reich-wingers to refer to what they fantasize to be concepts that people who don't agree with their rightthink ideology try to restrict the "press" to allowing to be discussed. (I do want to mention that not all right-wingers are Reich-wingers, just as not all Liberals are Christians) I was following up on the concept that vilifying Christians is a P C concept.  I pointed out that there are very few places in America where a person can be elected to office by being openly anti-Christian, at least in word. Of course, many people love the title "Christian" while hating the teachings of the Christ, Jesus. Many people claim to be Christian while believing that poor people should not be helped, except perhaps to tell them to get a non-existent job, even if they are physically or mentally unable to work.  There are actually people who want to make feeding homeless people a crime.  I am unashamed to admit that I am a Christian and know that the Bible says that the homeless person in question is Jesus. (see Matthew 25:31ff)

The topic came up in a discussion about a homeowners' association trying to ban a resident who is a veteran from flying an American Flag. I also proceeded to rant about home-owners' associations in communities composed of rows of ticky-tacky little boxes. Think of Logan's Run, We, etc.

I also mentioned Platonic geometry.  This refers to an exaggerated version of what is commonly known as Euclidean Geometry.  Platonic geometry is a Rationalist  concept that ascribes reality to the ideal shapes of Euclidean geometry, The only problem with that is the fact that they cannot exist in this Universe except as an approximation. The geometry of the real world is fractal and restricted by both General Relativity and Quantum Physics, I suppose that there may actually be a unified field theory, but it is quite possible that only God can handle the math.

Jihadi John Done Messed Around With Slim

After hearing the rant of Jihadi John on his latest murder video I thought of the Jim Croce song, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim". Part of the lyrics says "you don't tug on Superman's cape".  The ISIS propagandists seem to think that murdering a few innocent Americans will frighten us into not bombing them to stop the murder of lots of innocent people. Jihadi John, you have tugged on Superman's cape.

In Croce's song, Big Jim Walker got on the wrong side of Slim, and he was cut from one end to the other.  The end of the song says "don't mess around with Slim".  I really don't like the fact that America has elected a Republican  majority in both houses of Congress, but I suspect that we will have a bi-partisan reaction to ISIS. I would be really surprised if we don't make an all out response to ISIS. ISIS came into existence because of the disastrous policies of the younger Bush, and we now have a president with the sense to fashion a workable response to them. We need to get Arabic forces to lead the ground war.  President Obama has been able to begin building a working relationship with Iran on this issue. We need to have their co-operation on this issue.

Charity, the Greatest Spiritual Gift, Now Illegal in Many U.S. Cities

Recently Ft. Lauderdale Florida arrested a 90 year old man and two pastors for feeding homeless people in public. The Mayor, Jake Seilar, has realized that the city has suffered from well-deserved negative publicity and has stated that they should have done a better job of convincing him of the error of his ways.   Even though many chamber of commerce members and businessmen have stated that their real goal is to drive homeless people away from their city, the mayor said that it was a good thing to feed them indoors at approved locations, far from where the homeless people are. Ft. Lauderdale is one of a number of U.S. cities which have tried to return to the days of treating poverty as a crime.

The truth is that many homeless people, especially "street people", cannot effectively be reached with indoor feeding programs, and those need to be located near where the homeless people are found.  Some of the anti-feeding scrooges say that feeding homeless people only enables homelessness.  I guess death by starvation cures homelessness.  Perhaps Ft. Lauderdale and the other cities who have joined in the assault on homeless people should build public showers with cyanide gas and nearby crematories.

Contrast Ft. Lauderdale with Knoxville, TN.  Knoxville is one of 20 American cities that is participating in a program to end poverty sponsored by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  Knoxville has a number of food programs (several of them world acclaimed, such as the Love Kitchen) located in areas easily accessible to the homeless, as well as a number of programs that feed people in the streets (or under overpasses).  One program has a canteen truck that appears about midnight in the historic Old City district, an area that is open all night and attracts young street people.

One of the core teachings of Jesus is found in Matthew 25:31ff.  Jesus speaks in a parable of a day when all people are gathered before Him on Judgment day.  Some He will welcome to Paradise because they fed Him when he was hungry, others He will send elsewhere because they did not.  Both groups will ask "when did we feed/not feed You?" and He will answer "When you did/ did not do this to the least of people".  The hungry homeless person, or the sick and dying person with no health insurance is Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we are told that charity is the greatest spiritual gift.

I am sure that many other spiritual figures such as Buddha taught such concepts.  Any followers of other religions are very welcome to add references (in comments below) to their religions as further examples of the value of charity.  Mohammed, of course, quoted Jesus as the Messiah on this subject, and many Jews consider Jesus to be a great rabbi.  Feel free to add comments.  I am sure that there are Atheists who also can add to this discussion.  If you feel that charity is an abomination, you may state your views. It will not be MY  job to judge you.

Ignorance About Ebola Abounds Unabated

I have to say a few quick words about the continuing ignorance and unabated prejudice still common in discussions about Ebola, especially in reactions to the saga of Kaci Hickox.  I have been following this on AOL and many people still react to her unselfish bravery as if she is some sort of evil person.  I am not the only person to realize that the intense reaction of many people is rooted in the fact that the people suffering from this small but dangerous epidemic happen to be Africans, living in Africa.

Kaci has proven that she was no risk by passing her 21 day milestone still free of the disease, proving that spontaneous generation is still a fantasy. Dr. Craig Spencer, who had contracted Ebola after returning to the U.S. has recovered from the disease, and no one was infected by him. Both of these individuals are well trained medical professionals totally aware of the protocols for dealing with this disease. They took all needed precautions. It is inconceivable that anyone so well trained about this disease and experienced with the realities of the disease would behave otherwise.

Americans Bend Over on Election Day

On election day 2014 Americans collectively bent over and told the robber barons to have their way for at least the next 2 years.  Already the war drums are beating to send American troops back to war, proving the final message of former president Dwight Eisenhower correct. Republicans have also vowed to put America in the group to hear " You are not welcome here" on judgment day by refusing to help Jesus when he is sick, hungry, or homeless (when the Me party members chanted "let him die" during the last presidential primary, the guy in the emergency room with no insurance was Jesus)  Despite the fact that every financial recession or depression suffered by Americans has been the direct result of economic policy of Republicans or their antecedents, Republicans have been put into a position to seriously threaten the economic recovery that has happened in America, despite their best efforts so far to lead us into a "character building" depression.  Please note that all of these depressions and recessions engineered by Republicans, predominantly by allowing wide spread short selling, have resulted in stock traders getting very wealthy, while working people and many wealthy people who have earned their wealth have suffered.

As a Floridian I am dismayed that we have again elected to the office of Governor a man who is either the biggest thief in the history of America or an astonishingly incompetent CEO.  He ran a corporation that very deliberately stole over a billion dollars from the people of America. If he was not aware of the systematic keepings of dual books he would have had to be totally out of touch with his company.  For this he received a reported bonus of $350,000,000. Yes, folks, that's three hundred and fifty MILLION dollars.

Comment on Boko Haram and ISIS

Recently Boko Haram has been in and out of the news for kidnapping a bunch of girls who were trying to get an education.  ISIS has been in the news for mass murders and trying to establish what they call an Islamic state.  I do not hold my self out as an expert on Islam, but I have a number of friends who are educated Muslims. As a student of religion (among other things) I am familiar with some of the teachings and history of Islam.  I know enough to know that both of these groups represent people who have little knowledge of the teachings of Muhammad, or don't care.  They forbid the education of women, while Muhammad encouraged education for everyone. They wage war against Christians, which Muhammad strictly forbids. Of course, the history of Islam is one of heretics using the name of Muhammad to wage war.  Main-stream Christianity (Muhammad thought that what he was teaching is true Christianity) has seen the same problem.  Adolf Hitler thought that he was a Christian.  Boko Haram is to Islam as Hitler was to Christianity.