LowerCaseRepublican

Just what we needed...a place where everybody who was fighting can come together and laugh at the f***ing unhinged moronic insanity of Pat Robertson. Thanks Pat!

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 5, 2006 -> 12:44 PM) It sure seems like God is giving the Iran whackjob and our own American whackjob conflicting marching orders. I looooooves my Patwas. /soaked.in.green.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 5, 2006 -> 01:38 PM) And I bash close-minded idiots who spin the truth so they can spew their idiotic messages and cause needless controversy. Good luck with your bashing. Yeah Flaxx and I spun the Truth that the anti-contraceptive campaign has been partially responsible for the spread of the global AIDS pandemic, increased overpopulation etc., that the Church apparatus knowingly abetted child rapists for 40+ years and moved them into new communities where their crimes were unknown, shielding these evil bastards from civil authorities. If you want to talk about idiotic messages, at least I'm not acting as an apologist for an institution that has been part of mass exterminations and coddled men who molested and raped small children. (And no MrEye, this isn't about you and other Catholics...this is purely about those who are apologists for the Church apparatus, failing to see that it has a helluva lot of blood on its hands)

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 5, 2006 -> 01:23 PM) Might as well bash what you can't understand, right? The Catholic Church and organized religion in general have done more to cause violence, hatred and evil on this planet than even the worst dictators could have ever hoped for. More blood has been spilled in the name of sectarian religion than any other cause. But they do a few good things! That surely makes up for all the blood they've spilled and all the crimes they've committed I bash people who proclaim to be the moral font for the world (i.e. the Catholic Church) when they've got some of the bloodiest hands on the planet.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jan 5, 2006 -> 12:54 PM) You make some good points, but obvious it's that LCR wasn't really trying to point out the difference. To the contrary, he didn't care if he stepped on the toes of a billion+ Catholics with his comments. And when he calls the members of the Catholic Church "hypocrites" and "fascists," that includes my priest. And I take offense to that. Funny, I thought it was quite clear that I was attacking the institution and the persons within the institution that kept their mouths shut while the Church has perpetrated some pretty horrendous activities over the years. It boggles my mind that seeing the massive moral corruption and amoral nature of so much of the Catholic church apparatus history that anybody would want to be a part of that organized religious apparatus. I believe it was Huey Long who once said "I don't need to experience the Word of God from some two bit preacher I could buy for five dollars and a bottle of whiskey. I'll experience it for myself."

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Jan 5, 2006 -> 12:31 AM) Jim, if I didn't like you otherwise, I ask for you to be banned for a week. Before this post, I had flirted with being a dickhead at times, but thanks for showing me what real Jackassery is all about. This is the worst thing I've ever read here at soxtalk. The Truth doesn't change because of your inability to stomach it. Face facts, for the past 40+ years, the Papacy covered up and abetted child rapists.

From Washington Post: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday night and was rushed into surgery to relieve what doctors described as significant bleeding in his brain. Officials from Sharon's office said his condition was life-threatening, and religious leaders called on Israelis to pray for him.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 07:00 PM) I truly believe that LCR doesn't fault ALL catholics for the sins of a few thousand... I think... I hope... Right.....? As I said before there are some Catholics that I respect. I just find it hilarious that Sleepy et al. seem to be defenders of an organization that coddled rapists and those complicit in mass exterminations.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 05:38 PM) You just don't merit a response if that's what you truly believe... The good of the Church far outweighs the examples you're going to keep throwing out. Galileo??? Wow, what an argument...Just imagine all of the past mistakes that have been made throughout history because of what was unknown...Horrible argument...Doesn't even apply to today... An organization with such a massive size covering such a huge amount of time thoughout history is not going to come without its problems, mistakes, etc. When such a large volume of people is involved, problems are inevitable..obviously. It's human nature to f*** up. But the overall message of the Church is good. You and I both know that. Don't confuse human error for what the Church stands for. I will stand by this statement: The good of the Church FAR outweighs the problems and mistakes that have come along throughout history...its not even close. So when you make ignorant statements about the Catholicism, you're gonna offend some people, whether you care or not. What you can do is seperate the instances that you don't agree with from the overall umbrella of "Catholicism" because that word stands for much more than you realize. I guess respecting others' beliefs, what some people base their lives on and believe in very strongly, is foreign to you. That's fine. Good for you. I just pride myself in knowing that you'll never hear me making such statements about what others believe in, like calling them "f***ing hypocritical bastards." How Christlike to find me worthy. You truly are a shining example. The word stands for social control. The whole reason priests are unable to marry is because the Church wanted the money from the estates when priests would die. If there were no heirs, the Church would be the only one to get the money. The papacy has been bought and sold numerous times throughout history. (And nice job by the way of completely avoiding the complicit support of the Nazis by the Church...great historical revisionism!) My problem is not with the religion perse. It becomes a problem when people use fundamentalism to strongarm others (i.e. the Catholic League "We're offended that there is a show on TV!" -- Here's a tip, if you don't like it then don't watch it. Let those who want to have the ability to do so). While efforts of some Catholics (Pax Christi, Ita Ford, Helen Prejean, Oscar Romero, Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the nuns I've met in Georgia at SOA protests etc.) have been positive, the overwhelming majority of Catholic leadership has put them out on the margins, even to the extent of throwing out liberation theology.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 05:40 PM) There isn't s*** in that article about the war. In fact the Vatican has been consistently opposed to the war. So, wtf is your point? And read THE SECOND PARAGRAPH -- "it is not necessarily sinful for Catholics to vote for politicians who support abortion, as long as they are voting for that candidate for other reasons". So voting for a candidate (I assume you meant pro-choice cand) does NOT revoke your Catholicism. Read an article before you link it, for...Christ's sake. Other priests have said that it does. So there is a bit of ye olde schism on the topic.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 05:29 PM) I hear Cardinal Arinze is in charge of the extermination. So the Church is 'strong-arming' people to support the war? Wow, and they even hid it from the Pope! That's some clever s***. http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:qU5RF...lient=firefox-a If you vote for a candidate you're no longer Catholic and can no longer receive the Eucharist. That is inherently a political action taken by their organization and therefore should lose their tax exempt status.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 05:15 PM) What a great well reasoned, detailed response refuting my points. You sure showed me.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 03:00 PM) Learn to choose your words and wording carefully unless you're serious about being a dickhead and not caring about who you offend... I mean, c'mon...Fascism??? An organization that condones systematic rape??? Now do you honestly believe that sort of warped bulls*** or did you choose those words to get a reaction? I don't know what to say if that's what you really believe... An organization that hides child rapists for decades, even in the cases where it would benefit a common good is an organization whose credentials for being a moral compass should be severely. From giving Galileo house arrest because he dared to say that the Earth revolved around the Sun to the condemnation of liberation theology (and in as such, Archbishop Oscar Romero et al.) to their promotion of the global AIDS pandemic to the Spanish Inquisition to the consent of the slave trade.... To the blatant support of fascism and the Nazi Regime (read: Pius XII) From The Secret History of Pius XII: After World War II, murmurs of Pacelli's callous indifference to the plight of Europe's Jews began to be heard. A noted commentator on Catholic issues, Cornwell began research for this book believing that "if his full story were told, Pius XII's pontificate would be exonerated." Instead, he emerged from the Vatican archives in a state of "moral shock," concluding that Pacelli displayed anti-Semitic tendencies early on and that his drive to promote papal absolutism inexorably led him to collaboration with fascist leaders. Cornwell convincingly depicts Cardinal Secretary of State Pacelli pursuing Vatican diplomatic goals that crippled Germany's large Catholic political party, which might otherwise have stymied Hitler's worst excesses. The author's condemnation has special force because he portrays the admittedly eccentric Pacelli not as a monster but as a symptom of a historic wrong turn in the Catholic Church. He meticulously builds his case for the painful conclusion that "Pacelli's failure to respond to the enormity of the Holocaust was more than a personal failure, it was a failure of the papal office itself and the prevailing culture of Catholicism." A few mistakes is understandable but with all of these consistent errors to stop progressive movements and even take steps towards regression show that it is pretty much deliberate to keep the church ideology from evolving to help people. I believe that's what the kids call getting 'pwn3d'. An organization with such a history should have no place being the beacon that proclaims itself the moral compass and moral leader of the world.

I tried (and obviously failed) to open it back up. So much for writing first thing in the morning. I've been trying to splice out some of the argument thread that caused SS2K to close it & then re-open.

I could really give less than a good damn about offending the majority of Catholics. It was many of these same priests that threatened excommunication to certain Catholics during the Presidential election. Citizens that were pro-choice or against the war were strong-armed by the thugs in collars -- told that they could not hold those views and still be a Catholic. Many of these same threatened Catholics were not allowed to partake in the Eucharist -- a clear use of religion for a nefarious political objective. Yet they get tax exemptions. These "sanctified" goons were clear supporters of life -- as long as they were fetuses. Real people in the world? Hell, let them get AIDS/unwanted pregnancies/no use of contraceptives, wave the Stars & Stripes, bomb them back to the Stone and embrace the wholesale bloodbath in the name of "liberty"! And let's not even get into the Catholic Church's amazing efforts to promote and spread the global AIDS pandemic, especially in Africa by banning any form of contraceptive. According to documents unearthed in 2003 legal actions, journalist Russ Kick found that the earliest document discussing priest rape was distributed in 1962. He states that the document "Instruction on the Manner of Proceeding in Cases of Solicitation" was sent to every high ranking cleric. The document said that anybody who allegedly raped a member of the parish would face a private Church court, secular officials would not be told and the paperwork would end up in the diocese's "secret archives". The document even states that, under punishment of excommunication, all clergy will keep the rape suppression secret "even for the most urgent and most serious cause for the purpose of a greater good." The document was personally approved by Pope John 23. When Father James Porter pled guilty for molesting 28 children in the 1960s and 1970s, the document record shows that the church fully knew of his crimes -- and shuffled him to new parishes where he could prey on unsuspecting children. In 1973, Porter wrote Pope Paul 6 confessing his penetration of children and demanding to be let out of the priesthood. The Church yet continued to hide him from legitimate authorities. In a document dated May 29, 1999 -- John Paul II calls for the removal of a priest accused of molesting a child. In the document he discusses how the priest should be moved to an area where his crimes are not known. He goes on to say that the priest could not be removed if allowing him to stay there would "cause no scandal". Their policy of hiding any child rapist, even in cases where it would benefit the greater good, shows that they're merely just thugs in collars -- aiding and abetting criminals. I think the efforts of the Catholic church do more to insult people than a little satire on Comedy Central and words on a web site could ever do.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 08:03 PM) With all the offensive things South Park has done, it IS interesting that this is the first episode being yanked, no? I think that says something. I haven't seen the episode, which I'm sure I'd laugh a hell of a lot from. Fascists? probably not. vastly misguided? most religious people are They (the groups successful now) tried to get the other episode with "The Catholic Boat" and the Great Spider yanked but to no avail.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060103/en_tv_eo/18055 What a bunch of fascist whiners. They can openly condemn a cartoon but yet the same organization hides systematic rape, molestation and abuse for over 40 years from all authorities & puts priests into new parishes so they can harm children all over again. f***ing hypocritical bastards.

House overrides Carcieri's medical marijuana veto By M.L. Johnson, Associated Press Writer | January 3, 2006 PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Rhode Island on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law. House lawmakers voted 59-13, with one abstention, to override a veto by Gov. Don Carcieri, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to grow up to 12 marijuana plants or buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana to relieve their symptoms. The law requires them to register with the state and get a photo identification card. Federal law prohibits any use of marijuana, but Maine, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington allow it to be grown and used for medicinal purposes. The U.S. high court ruled on June 6 that people who smoke marijuana because their doctors recommend it can still be prosecuted under federal drug laws. Federal authorities conceded they were unlikely to prosecute many medicinal users, and Rhode Island lawmakers pressed on, passing their medical marijuana bill on June 7. Carcieri vetoed it, and the state Senate voted the next day to override his veto, but the House recessed before following suit. Tuesday's House vote came just before the start of the 2006 session, allowing the law to take effect immediately. Rep. Thomas Slater, D-Providence, and Sen. Rhoda E. Perry, D-Providence, introduced the legislation last year after watching family members suffer from terminal illnesses. Perry's nephew died last January of AIDS. Although marijuana may have relieved his suffering, he never used it because it was illegal, she said. Slater has cancer and several of his family members died from it. He said he doesn't need marijuana now, but it could be part of his treatment in the future. "I'm sure everybody in this room knows at least one person who would have benefited from medical marijuana," he said before the vote. -- Good to see it become the 11th state to take on a sane policy.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 30, 2005 -> 07:50 PM) That's one of the most childish and irresponsible things I've ever heard. Go back to your Klan meeting. :headshake Wow. We agree on something. Whodathunkit?

Picked up a few movies via Christmas/me buying Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1-6 -- If you liked Kill Bill then make sure you see these (along with Lady Snowblood) Fists of Fury -- Classic Golden Harvest Bruce Lee Dark Water -- the original, GOOD J-Horror film that was part of the US buying up movie ideas from Japan for remakes. Don't let the US pantload scare you away Freaks -- f***ing classic 1930s horror movie using actual sideshow attractions as characters in a circus. A fellow member of the circus treats them like second class citizens and pays for it. A whole bunch of Marx Bros. movies (too many to name) -- Just see the classic comedy Office Space -- ... Kill Bill -- I loves my Japanese influenced cinema! Hotel Rwanda -- I need it for a class I'm going to teach plus it was a great film The Punisher (2005) -- Guilty pleasure. Plus it is fun watching John "Battlefield Earth" Trevolta get blown up. Land of the Dead -- I am a huge fan of Romero. 'Nuff said. Mr. Show Seasons 1 and 2 -- Holy Hell...thanks DonkeyKongerko for turning me onto this show a few years ago. Absolutely hysterical.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 29, 2005 -> 04:18 PM) I wonder if she was intimidated and threatened by "random" thugs like many of the females who were going to testify against Bill in the Paula Jones case. So much of what was known as the Arkansas Project (run by billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife...kinda the Soros of the right) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Project David Brock released a lot of the secrets that a whole lot of the Project was exaggerated and essentially just throwing anything at the wall to see what stuck, even if they were making stuff up/using very questionable sources (see his book "Blinded by the Right") Due to that sort of stuff, I found a lot of the stuff really questionable...and when it got to "Clinton murdered Vince Foster", it was insane.

by Jessica Pupovac Chicago, Dec 28 - The Chicago Transit Authority is refusing an opportunity to alleviate commuting costs for hundreds of thousands in the Windy City's low-income neighborhoods. Instead of accepting deeply discounted fuel from the Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum Corporation, the city is instead raising fares to solve budget shortfalls. In an October meeting with representatives from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the city's Department of Energy and other city officials, Citgo unveiled a plan to provide the Chicago with low-cost diesel fuel. The company's stipulation, at the bidding of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was that the CTA, in turn, pass those savings on to poor residents in the form free or discounted fare cards. But two months later, despite claims of a looming budget crisis, the CTA president "has no intent or plan to accept the offer," according to CTA spokesperson Ibis Antongiorgi. She gave no explanation. According to Venezuela's consul general in Chicago, Martin Sanchez, the CTA has yet to inform his office of its decision to decline the discount offer. In place of the proposed discount, which the CTA apparently does not want Chicagoans to even know about, budget shortfalls will be addressed by fair hikes. Chicagoans who are unaware of the Venezuela offer will be hit with an increase of 25 cents per ride next month, and discounted route-to-route transfers will be eliminated for passengers paying cash. "This is going to hurt the poor and the minority people, like me," said Dorothy Chew, resident of Humboldt Park, where one-third of residents live below the federally recognized poverty level – currently just $16,000 for a family of three. Chew relies on the CTA to get to work and to Chicago Commons, where she attends classes daily in preparation for taking her GED. Since she rarely has money to invest in a fare card, she will be forced to pay for transfers the majority of the time. Chew's classmate, Linda Cox, works a minimum-wage job and has been a Public Aid recipient for 15 years. She also relies heavily on public transportation. "I only earn $560 a month and of that, over $200 a month goes to my bus fare," Cox told The NewStandard. "I have a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old who also need to get to school. If they change the prices and take away transfers, there are going to be a lot of days missed. I already see no money at the end of the month." The offer of discount fuel is not just confined to Chicago. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the first of Venezuela's "oil-for-the-poor" programs in the US was launched. Citgo struck a deal with three nonprofit organizations in the Bronx to deliver 5 million gallons of heating oil at 45 percent below the market price. The deal will amount to a savings of $4 million for the 8,000 low-income households slated to benefit from the plan. Citgo has made a similar arrangement with Citizens Energy Corp. in Boston for the sale and distribution of 12 million gallons, saving low-income and elderly residents there a total of $10 million. The company's website says that it expects to expand the program to other boroughs in New York City and that it is exploring the possibility of offering discounted fuel to residents in Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. However, in all of Illinois, only about 12,000 households use heating oil. So instead of fuel for heat, Citgo representatives offered the CTA a 40-50 percent discount on diesel fuel for buses to benefit Chicagoans most in need of relief from soaring oil and gas prices this winter. "We didn't know how else to reach enough people," said Consul Sanchez. Another difference between the Chicago offer and the programs enacted in the Northeast is that Citgo proposed to work with a government agency, rather than nonprofit organizations. The CTA relies on the US federal government – which is in a constant war of words with Venezuelan President Chavez – for much of its funding. In fact, just weeks after Citgo made its offer to the CTA, Congress signed the Federal Transportation Appropriations bill, allocating $89 million in infrastructure project funds the CTA had been seeking for years. Representatives from the US State Department and city officials, including Aldermen involved in the negotiations and the Chicago Mayor's Office, refused to respond to queries about whether international politics played any part in the CTA's rejection of Citgo's offer. Some critics of President Chavez say his offer of cheap fuel to low-income communities in the US is a political ploy to win the support of the American people. Larry Birns, executive director of the progressive think tank, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said Chavez is trying to counter Bush administration criticisms with "petro-diplomacy." Birns, who criticizes both US policy toward Venezuela and Chavez's confrontational style, told TNS, "There is a certain amount of humor involved in needling the Bush administration for neglecting it's own while attempting to stand tall in Latin America." However, as Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research – another progressive think tank – pointed out, the Venezuelan government has been providing cheap fuel to several countries in Latin America. Weisbrot is a staunch supporter of the Chavez administration. "It is part of [Venezuela's] policy to compensate for the impact of the high oil prices on poor people," he said. "They don't have any grudge against the American people; it's just the Bush administration that they don't like." Consul Sanchez echoed this sentiment. "Any corporation that makes a big profit in a community owes that community something in return," he said. With one of Citgo's three light-oil refineries located in nearby Lemont, 30 minutes outside the city, Sanchez said, Venezuela has "a special relationship with people and community organizations in Chicago." There remains no sign, however, that the government of Chicago will take Citgo and Venezuela up on the unilateral offer. © 2005 The NewStandard. -- Pretty cool that Chavez is going out of his way to help a ton of people. I just wonder why Chicago said no to the cheap fuel.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Dec 28, 2005 -> 10:05 PM) Yeah, I was joking about WHH. To judge him in 30 days in ridiculous, but I'm not really familiar with anything he did. He didn't do anything to f*** the country and therefore, conservatives and liberals can unite that he is the best President ever then.

Regular exercising (should be easy, I get done with student teaching each day about the same time as roommate goes to the gym) Staying on top of student teaching responsibilities For anybody in the UIUC area, I'm even thinking of going forward hardcore with my standup.

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