An Exorcise In Futility

An Exorcise In Futility, or: Give it up, you crazy exorcists, you!
You know the drill-the world is rosy, all is calm and fine, then some innocent child falls prey to a demon- the bed starts shaking, pea soup is projectalized, and the kid's head turns 360*. On a good day.
I haven't bashed the Catholic church for awhile, so let me start by declaring that it is ridiculous that the Cultic Empire called Catholicism supposedly has the 'experts' in Exorcism working for them. 
Nope.

Another nope for these young ladies who have made the 'news' lately. Their Dad, Bob Larson, has been pitching them to star in a Reality TV series as they go about their Demon evicting work. Triple nope.
Here's the thing-the exorcist of "The Exorcist", Father Merrin, coming from darkness has no ability to banish darkness. He's just a fictional character, of course, but the Father Merrins of the Catholic church can't exorcise anything. Spouting Latin at a demon infested child does nothing for the child and nothing to the demon. The book and movie are pure Catholic fantasy-Catholics WISH that their faith could move mountains or face down fallen angels!
Conversely, these misguided young ladies, who apparently are graduates of their father's "International School of Exorcism" (which promises that YOU can learn to be an Exorcist...online!) have as much chance of actually ridding someone of a demon as they do of winning an Emmy. Not going to happen.

Side note: some thirty years ago my church youth group attended a lecture by Bob Larson about the Devil in rock and roll. He was against it. I accept that the world's music is not going to honor God. But I would rather listen to some of the "Devil's music" than the trash being perpetrated on Christians in the name of Christ-there's much deviltry in that stuff, also.

End of side note.

I say all of this to establish that we generally understand the idea of Exorcism: driving a demon out of someone, banishing said demon to some elsewhere, saving the innocent from evil.
Please listen (read) carefully this next part.
This 'cosmos', this world culture in which we exist acts as "Oppo-Exorcists". Rather than driving a devil out of an innocent, this cosmos is hell-bent on driving the Holy Spirit out of it's sphere of influence.
It (the world culture) would love nothing more than to drive out, to exorcise the Holy Spirit. Where is the Holy Spirit found? In Christians. How does the world treat Christians? Poorly. We are shunned, shouted down in public discourse, mocked and ridiculed for our faith in God.
If not for our faith in God, we would be embraced and loved as fellow citizens in Darkness. Belonging to Christ is the only black mark against us.
Praise God for that black mark!
It is futile to think that Christians can be freed from the Holy Spirit inhabiting us. God is the One Who promised to indwell us with the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of Heaven.
So go ahead, cosmos. Reject and shun all you like. The more you ridicule us, all the more we pray for you, that you will be delivered from this world of Darkness. May God drive out all demons in this current age; in the future, during Christ's reign on earth and into Eternity there will be no exorcists or demons to pester us.
Amen.

  

Mother's Day-Better Than Cats

Yup. Went and saw the Imax 3D version yesterday; it was the best Summer Movie since "Inception".
Joss Whedon hit it out of the park, and the squabbling heroes reminded me of the best elements of
"Firefly". Good old times. The only 'hero' missing was Captain Hammer.
 If you are inclined to see it, the Imax 3D is the goodest way to watch it-I'll probably get the 3D Blu-ray when it comes out. The price with parking was only $10.50 for the manatee.
Actually, the manatee is possibly the only mammal missing from this extra_vaganza-it is BUSY with good stuff.
But today is a celebrate Mothers Day-to all Mothers out there-thanks for putting up with us. You're tops.
Hav

High Class Blast From The Past

Take dos. Somehow blogspot dropped my post-as I was saying: a bummer-when I was digging into the archives-the posts from my first year of Fine Dry Wit evaporated when I had to change some things back in the day.
I had planned to dig up fun stuff from the 2004 Presidential olympics-John Kerry, champion of the working class vs George Bush, champion of all Americans.
Kerry was hardly Presidential, and the argument that "At least he isn't George Bush!" didn't sway enough voters to install him in the White House (which would have been the smallest mansion he had ever lived in)-the White House isn't even equal to a carriage house on any of his estates. But he was willing to slum it for four years. Ever notice that after he lost the election, he seems to have disappeared back into the woodwork of the Heinz mansion? 
It's funny-I may re-purpose that old argument for this year's contest with Romney: "At least he isn't Obama!"
I may also borrow a bumper sticker was prevalent during the Bush era: "I love my Country but fear my Government".
I found the picture above from a post back in 2005. Although FDW will never set the world afire, I have had a lot of fun in the past eight years, and if I don't amuse anyone else, I still am my biggest fan.
President Obama surprised me yesterday: at the massive Hollywood fundraiser hosted by George Clooney President Obama didn't make an economic speech or cut the ribbon for a new abortion clinic so as to write off the California trip as 'Presidential Business'.
It's estimated that he added 15 million dollars to his (already huuuuuuuuuuuge) war chest so that he can buy ads to badmouth Republicans. And spread the word about his taking out Osama. And Gay marriage. Then more Osama. ANYTHING BUT THE ECONOMY! Shhhhh!
Prediction time: Romney wins in a landslide, Republicans take back Congress, the few Dems left will offer to help dismantle Obamacare to show their willingness to do ANYTHING to save their flea bitten hides.
"It was like a fever dream-we didn't know what we were doing-Obama tricked us into going along with his schemes!"
yeah.
The problem with the prediction thing is I've been wrong before-I was confident that the American populace would never vote to put Obama IN office. When McCain won the Republican nom I was almost sick to my intestines-he was nearly to the Left of Obama! But I held my nose and voted.
This time I will vote for Romney and whoever he adds to the ticket. He could choose Hilary Clinton and I'd still vote for him versus Obama. See you on the other side.

Handspan But Dust

Handspan. A morning mist which quickly burns away. 
This past week has had (in my opinion, which means nothing) too many reminders that we are momentary beings, short timers on this side of Eternity. 
We may live forever, but during our time here...we are here. And that means something.
God in His wisdom decides the number of our days, and we are powerless to extend or cut short our individual allotment. 
Here's our humanness in simple: it hurts to see the young die more than the old. When we see a young life ended, we feel that potential wasn't achieved, that more life was owed to that young one.
But that isn't so-no one is owed Life. 
Life is a gift from God-if it were owed to us, it wouldn't be a gift, but something somehow earned. 
Thank God for your life.

With All Due Respect...

Ah, the joys of leaving work for the weekend! I have a little extra time, so here I put in pixels something that has been kicking around in my head for awhile. My 'facts' may not be more than opinion, but I am always an expert on things which are a matter of (my) opinion.
Before you start hyper-mental-ating over my possibly calling President Obama Hitler, please. I'm not that much of a hack to go where so many Liberals have already trod with their tired "BushHitler" routine.

Totally different men, folks: President Obama is NOT Hitler!

But they do have a few things in common:
Both were/are heads of governments, having risen to power by dividing populaces, using class warfare to disunite the populations.
Both Barry and Dolph considered the lower classes to be victims of the "Ruling Class".
Both considered the country they lived in to be 'unfair' and in need of CHANGE.
Both identified those who disagreed with them to be enemies of the State (or the State that they wished to bring into existence).
Both wrote autobiographies before they had actually accomplished much-in both cases, the books were written to serve a future cause. Dolph wrote of his struggle while being imprisoned for being a community organizer who went just a little too far in a beer hall (Oh, those Crazy Austrians!). He would fit in just fine today with Occupy Wall Street.

Dolph loved dogs... and Barry ate them.

Both were/are ideologues who could not be swayed from their agenda. Barry will not be won over to any other point of view-it's his way or nothing.

Both Dolph and Barry were, however, great at "Con-promise"-they would/will say anything, promise anything to get what they want...and then forget both the lie and the lie-ee once their purpose has been accomplished.

You may notice in the pixels above that the boys have playmates who mirror each other quite dis-favorably:
Axelrod and Himmler, or: Dave and Heine. Both were/are masters of propaganda/dirty political tricks/smirking like weasels. 
I didn't want to go too far in this post, so I've left out the Goering/Biden and Heydrich/Eric Holder comparisons. But they are there if you want to look for them.
Back to Dolph and Barry, or, to be fair, Soetoro and Schicklgruber. Adolph's father (Alois) changed his name to Hitler to be more closely associated with the man, Hiedler, that his mother, Maria Anna Schicklgruber, had married.
Of course, Barry's story was totally different. He was born an Obama, and only became a Soetoro when his mother remarried. So there.
There are more similarities, but your eyes are probably tired by now. See you in the funny papers.

I Think We All Saw This Coming

Most of the fine people kicking around the decades that I have remember the inception of  "Jumping the shark" so I won't hark back that far but simply state that President Obama has descended into ridiculousness-he isn't helping his re-election campaign by acting so goofy. You've heard about his 'slow jamming the news' on a late night TV show filmed before a college crowd . Wow. Jimmy Fallon and the President of the United States did a comedy routine. That's hep. Dave Mathews Band charged up the collegiate crowd...who were too young to have heard of the Dave Matthews Band. Short Attention Spa

anyway, President Obama has drawn some friendly fire from liberals for campaigning on a college campus tour on the dime of the American people. He has a near billion dollar war chest, and yet is traveling around the country making a case (as part of his job as complainer-in-chief) before college students that the big bad Republicans want to raise the cost of student loans. Resident Liberal on Foxnews Juan Williams said that the President could have made the same speech from the Oval Office, saving the taxpayers some dough.

Dirty little secret time: the rate hike was passed by the Democrats in 2007 to give them a cudgel with which to bash the Republicans during the 2012 election. Republicans didn't hold Senate or House. Their (and our) bad luck has them gripping the Oval office this year. Senator B. Obama did not vote on the rate hike, as he was busy...um...doing what he's doing now-campaigning and complaining. He didn't even vote "Present".

Harking time again. President Nixon was said to keep an "Enemies List". President Obama has kicked it up a notch in the past few, picking fights with:

The state of Arizona

The Catholic Church and affiliated colleges

The people of America

The Supreme Court

Anyone who tells him "NO!"

Come November, the American Chorus of telling President Obama "NO!" will resound from sea to shining sea.

Job Interviews 2014

Oakland Business Solutions
HR director Frank Steves
Applicant Barton Guster

HR: Mr. Guster, thank you for coming in today.
BG: My pleasure.
HR: I was quite impressed with your resume and application, and I think we have a position
       tailor-made for a man of your talents.
BG: Great! When do I start? (laughs)
HR: (laughing) I like your attitude...Bart? May I call you Bart?
BG: Sure-all my friends do.
HR: Okay, Bart-I just have a few questions-if I make these interviews too short, my boss thinks I'm not
       working hard enough, y'know?
BG: I hear you, Frank-ask me anything. Open book.
HR: Okay! Just a few points to cover...on your application, on the line covering
       arrests, whether you had ever been in trouble with the law, you wrote none. Is that true?
BG: Well...I had a few speeding tickets back in high school, but nothing since then.
HR: I see. Just driving a bit too fast. When we're kids, we gotta get everywhere in a hurry, don't we?
BG: Yeah, heavy foot syndrome-that's what my Dad called it.
HR: Heavy foot syn...so, nothing since high school?
BG: Straight and narrow, Frank.
HR: Good to hear, Bart. You know, when you came in to drop off your resume the other day, I thought I
       knew you from somewhere. Blue streak?
BG: Excuse me?
HR: Didn't you used to have a blue streak in your hair, Bart? I see that you keep it shaved now.
BG: Um...yeah, a few years ago in college I did have blue in my hair.
HR: I thought so! You! You were that guy in that Occupy Wall Street group- a spokesman for the
       movement!
BG: Um...
HR: Sure it was you! I remember you pouring red paint on that Cadillac. You and your buddies were
        carted off to jail!
BG: Charges were dropped, Frank. We were...
HR: Yup! I remember-charges were dropped, as the company you were protesting didn't want any more
         bad press. You wouldn't start any trouble here at OBS, would you?
BG: No!
HR: Guster, you know how tight the job market is-I have a plum position available that 80% of this year's college graduates would kill just to interview for-they never put paint on a car or protested anything- why should I hire you?
BG:  I...I...I can't believe this.
HR: Believe what you like. Why should I hire you? Why should I take a chance on someone who has
       been  a troublemaker in the past?
BG: Mr. Steves, please-I need this job! I can't believe you would...
HR: Believe I would what? Blackball you? You blackballed yourself. Actions have consequences, Mr.
       Guster, and I think my boss would consider this interview to be long enough. Have a good day.

Sammy's Grinders and Subs
Shift manager Jim W.
Applicant Barton Guster
JW: You get three plastic aprons a week, $6.50 taken out of your first check for the hat. We'll start you
on the deep fryer.
BG: Thank you!

Five...Four...Nine

I've decided to add to my unregimented regimen for physical lifeness: Walk five blocks to work, after work four more blocks to the 'gym'-exercise, and then nine blocks back home, 60% uphill.
It felt good today, and I hope to do it often enough to add it as a habit, at least in the Spring/Summer/Fall during good weather. I do have enough sense to stay out of the rain.
I am heartened in my quest for better health to see seniors keeping fit at the gym every day, doing the work to keep their bodies working. I hope that I am still able to grind it out in my seventies.
Last week I realized, when visiting my brother's graveside, that I am now the age he was when he passed away. He had a hard life, fighting ill health through most of it. Both he and my Dad had diabetes; their health problems have spurred me on to exercise and to take better care of my health. No diabetes so far!
Dropping coffee (five months now) has been good; if I ever go back on the bean I won't beat myself up over being weak, but I'm enjoying tea now.
Here's the nut of the issue: back before I started exercising, when I was drinking coffee and junk-fooding, sitting in a computer chair/laying in bed watching TV...I was becoming immobile. I hurt-aches and pains from too much stress-I had a trick knee that would yell at me going up and down stairs.
Thanks to another knee-one of my Dad's, which had to be replaced-I would bring him to rehab at the hospital physical therapy.
Since I had to bring him to PT, I joined the gym...and discovered how stress would melt away, how I could feel better. Soon, rather than me waiting for him to get done, he would be waiting for me to finish my workout.
That was a few years ago now, and I have never felt better in my life.
Anyone dealing with STRESS in this especially stressful world-get thee to a gym and start working. You'll feel better and be better. Nothing wrong with that.

A Gift of Water

"⁷There came^* a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said^* to her, “Give Me a drink.” 
⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 
⁹Therefore the Samaritan woman said^* to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 
¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 
¹¹She said^* to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 
¹²“You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 
¹³Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 
¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”" John 4:7-14

Back in the day, back on the day that I became a Christian, I received that Living Water, and here is how it has affected my life:


From that day, I have not looked for God-He found me.
From that day, all seeking after Truth ended, as God is Truth, and True, and I haven't had a molecule of doubt about God in the intervening years. I've doubted myself, I've worked through some bad theology which I came to reject, but I've had no doubts about God.
From that day, without any change in my physical environment...I knew the world differently, saw everything in a new way. It still amazes me, the difference between what I had known and what I have come to understand since my first sip of that Living water.
From that day, just as Christ told the woman at the well, I have not thirsted-I am satiated with the Living water which has ended all desire for anything else.
May God give you that water. May you drink deep.

He Doesn't Just Know Me, He Knows All

²¹    They band themselves together against the life of the righteous     And condemn the innocent to death.

Psalm 94:21

Co-incidence is a fantasy. The very God Who created all things is working through all things to accomplish His purposes. 
Even the wicked have their uses for God; as we have run 'round this mulberry tree before, simply stated, God allows the wicked to have their days, but woe to the wicked for being wicked! 
As a Christian and as a human being, I honor the sanctity of Life-I see Life as a gift from God. I got a birthday card this year which stated, "Isn't it Wonderful that God thought the universe would have been incomplete without You?"
Life IS sacred, and the wicked, who often overvalue their own lives, show their wickedness by devaluing the lives of 'others'. 
This alleged "Post-Christian World" that we are living in is growing more and more wicked. It is no co-incidence (see above) that the farther the world moves away from Christ the more horrible it becomes.
In America, we 'condemn the innocent to death'. Here 'Abortion' is a Constitutionally protected 'right'.
In China, it is compulsory-the government forces abortion and sterilization on the populace 'for the common good'.
In Russia, in Germany, in France and the rest of Europe (and most of the world) abortion is an accepted part of Post-Christian culture. To their shame.
Co-incidence? No such animal-they (and we) are wicked, condemning the innocent to death. God is watching. God sees every move we make. He sees governments banding together against the life of the righteous. 
The old saw about being able to tell how healthy a society is by how they treat their prisoners is weak-these days, you can examine the health of Society by how we treat the most innocent among us-our society was much healthier back when abortion was shameful, illegal and wrong. Back before Life was constitutionally devalued. 
There will be no abortion clinics in Christ's Millennial Kingdom.

A Woman's Right To Choose

 

A woman's right to choose to do the very hard work of raising a family, of keeping a house in order has been mocked by militant 'working woman' Hilary Rosen. Who jumped up to defend the target of the mocking? President B. Obama, Rosen's boss. 

In the last election, we joked about "who Obama would 'throw under the bus next"-as he ran away from every politically embarrassing associate...until the cameras were turned off. Then some of those same embarrassments received cabinet posts in his admin.

Itsa like spaghetti, friends. Right now the Obama re-election campaign is tossing different types of mud against the Romney wall to see what sticks. This crack about Ann Romney backfires? Whoops! President Obacktrack swoops in to defend.

There's plenty more mud available, so don't worry about President Obama and his minions running out of ammunition.

Or money. He's still fundraising although he reportedly has a war chest of nearly a BILLION dollars.

Math quiz: If President Obama has a billion dollars of tax free money to spend on his re-election, but only uses $500,000.00-(which is enough to win three or four elections, especially in this economy with prices driven down...) what happens to the other $500,000.00?

He can't use it for another election, unless he loses this one and then tries to run again in 2016. He can't expect to run his wife for the top spot ala Hillary...as she hasn't worked a day in her life. (Just kidding!-she used to shake down contributors for a hospital in Chicago. "If you don't want to see picket lines in front of your store, give to the UMC!")

President Obama has already told the DNC that he won't share his war chest with down ticket Democrats, so I have a suggestion for P. O.:

After you lose the election, Barry, donate the war chest, all the tax free donations, to the Treasury to help pay down the debts you've run up as President.

It would only be a symbolic drop in the bucket, but it's the thought that also counts.

Santorum Recognizes Reality

I reserve the right to joke about President Obama in the future, if I think of something funny to say, but this post is more in line with serious thinking-call it serious random thoughts Tuesday.
I am pleased that Rick Santorum has bowed out of the race-I liked him, and could have voted for him, but he saw the reality-Romney has the nom in hand. I think Santorum did the smart thing, not throwing more money into a campaign for zero results. As he is younger than Romney (and Gingrich), he can live to campaign another election.
President Obama came out today with a startling new campaign effort: "Tax The Rich". Wow-that must have taken a lot of skull sweat!
How many decades have we heard that the solution to any economic crisis is to 'tax the rich'?
What does that even mean? Rather than inspiring individuals (a curse word for group-thinkers like liberals who only see sects) to try to become wealthy, the idea is to somehow pull down the rich to "OUR" level?
See the group-think? Class warfare from alleged 'doves'. Divide and conquer. Make the rich pay for achieving wealth...with the exception of movie stars and liberal presidents.
How about a man who controls a "Billion dollar" war chest of tax free money? Could he be considered rich?
If said man refused to share the billion with members of his own party also seeking re-election, would that be considered rude? Or just greedy?
I call it insecure. President Obama has no need for a billion dollars, but 'dollars' is one of the ways he measures success: "I have more than you so I'm winning." That is invalid. Success isn't measured by wealth.
Just for fun, I'm re-reading a few Ann Coulter books. I can't get as snarky as she does (it is a gift), but I do appreciate her writing. 
I also have the complete collection of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe-what can I say? I'm a sucker for well written prose.
I'm thinking that in the future, say ten years from now, President Obama will try to become Sec Gen of the U.N.
The only position higher than that is Antichrist-I know he has ambition, but! can! he! go! all! the! way!?
Baseball is back! Good news for the Twins! One of their players got a hit yesterday!
The Yankees also lost their first three games-competing for last place-and I continue my streak of cheering loudly for any team playing the Yanks. Okay-they are the Rich I wouldn't mind seeing taken down a peg or three. I'm human. Get over it.
I love Baseball, and enjoy seeing games in person when I can. Some of the rookies I saw come up are managing now! Life and baseball go on.

From The Mouth Of Swedes

So, of course, I see a few somethings. Check it-
this was posted on reddit; a Swedish six year old was asked about "Easter".
Reddit is "Mock Central Command", especially dismissive of Christianity and Conservative ideals (hint-stuff I know to be true).
So why yammer, Doug, about a reddit post?
"We celebrate easter so we can eat candy." 
I don't celebrate easter, but I love candy!
"Jesus? That sounds like a goat."
Exactly, six year old Swedish child!

" ⁷“He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 
⁸“Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the ^£scapegoat. 
⁹“Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. 
¹⁰“But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat." Leviticus 16:7-10

Ceremonies and sacrifices in the Old Testament were a sign and a shadow of what Christ would do on the cross. Jesus was both the goat offered as an offering of sin AND the scapegoat sent out into the wilderness (in that He was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem.)
John the Baptist recognized this: "²⁹The next day he saw^* Jesus coming to him and said^*, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
Of course, the Swede kinder didn't know anything beyond, "Candy". But there was truth in the statement that Jesus 'sounds like a goat'.
Remember the movie "The Ten Commandments? The children of Israel commanded to sacrifice a lamb, taking the blood and applying it to the lintel of the door of their houses? It says in Exodus 12:23

"²³“For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you." 

Passover. That was another 'fore-shadowing' of Christ on the cross, where His blood was shed to save those who would otherwise be destroyed. 

Huh. All of that from a post on reddit. 

 



 

Angry With God

"Be still, my soul, and know that You are God.".
Job. Habakkuk. Doug.
I add myself not because I am right now angry with God, questioning God, but as a human being, in my time on earth I have been frustrated, angry, wondering what God is doing.
How could this child die? Why are there shootings at a Christian school? Who is in charge here?
God is in charge, same as always. He didn't clue Job in as to why he was going through such suffering-basically, His response to Job's questioning was,  "I am God. Who are you? Did you create everything? Were you there at the Creation?" And Job exhibited great wisdom: "I'm just going to shut up now."
Habakkuk (single 'b', three 'k's) wondered: " How a just and loving God could use such evil hordes of bad men (the "Muslims" of his day) to punish God's people?" Habakkuk waits in his tower yet for an answer.
I know Christians who greatly dislike President Obama for what he has done to this country-"How could a loving God allow ______?"
God allows. He does what He will. He doesn't ever need to explain Himself to His creations.
We can be angry with God all of our lives, but it doesn't do us any good. Like talking to a brick wall.
How many of the Psalms have you read which begin with questioning WHY God would allow suffering?
In my memory, each one of those Psalms finishes with a single thought: "Anyway, Bless the Lord."
Who are you, Doug? Did you create everything? Were you there at the Creation?
I'm just going to shut up now.