Pastor Refuses To Do Funeral Service For Lesbian Who Shot Self While Cleaning Gun

Outrage, and rightfully so, after a Pastor refused to continue a funeral service for a Lesbian because of photos showing her kissing her wife. Nowhere in the Think Progress story is a reason for a 33 year old to have died suddenly. The answer is buried in the story at this link. Social media has taken the Pastor and the church to task for demeaning and insulting the service and the friends and family who had gathered to attend. Yet, hardly anyone has pointed out that she died while cleaning her gun.

I can think of dozens upon dozens of postings on social media about how yet another "backwards", "gun lover" idiot shot himself (it always seems to be a man) to death while cleaning their gun. The righteousness in pointing out other people's misfortune, especially when it comes to gun owners, boarders on and sometimes teeters over into morbid gleefulness. Or perhaps, perverse satisfaction is a better phrase.

(Photo by Nick M; under Fair Use)

Yet, is the idea of a left-wing, Lesbian gun owner something that cannot be reconciled? I don't think so. When reading through most of the articles about this outrage and the accompanying social media comments, however, one would be hard pressed to find mention of how she died. I think it is that it would screw up the narrative of yet another backwards church refusing services for homosexuals. Throw in that she was a gun owner and that she accidently killed herself while cleaning her gun and too many people, both on the left and right of the spectrum, would probably have a "system's overload". They couldn't reconcile two seemingly different narratives because that's not what they have been hard-wired for.

This appears to one of those "have your cake and eat it to" situations. Simple narratives would like to focus on the outrage of a Pastor refusing funeral services on the basis of sexual orientations and leave the whole gun owner cleaning a loaded gun out of it. Simple narratives would like to focus on the gun owner cleaning a loaded gun and keep the church, Pastor and sexual orientation out of it.


 

WAKE UP And Realize This Is A Two Party Dictatorship

Nothing brings out the worst in Democratic voters than losing.

Nothing brings out the worst in Republican voters than losing.

And nothing brings out the scrawny, pointy finger of shame of both party's voters than the idea that some people have figured out the United States of America's political system is nothing more than a two party dictatorship and that's why some of those people don't vote. The owners' of these scrawny, pointy fingers don't realize that it is such a dictatorship and hence their 'tsk-tsk' and 'cluck-cluck' at those who do understand speaks volumes; or at least it should.

After an election such as the 2014 mid-terms, the 2000, the 2004 and so on, the spinners make a washing machine seem clunky and slow. Losing is winning!

Of course, since the Republicans won big in last night's mid-term we get wonderful examples of Democrats creating and distributing charming memes such as the one below.

Then, we get, from the so-called party of tolerance and inclusion a cargo ship or two full of the most prejudicial, stereotype and bigoted caricatures as one could imagine. All the while, they conveniently ignore how the Obama administration has continued and expanded upon the draconian path began with the Bush administration about, oh say, 10 minutes after 9/11.

BUT WAIT!

THERE'S MORE!

The Republicans do the exact same thing when they lose, too!

Yet, rarely, and boy do I mean rarely, does anyone pop their head out of the sand and admit that we live in a two party dictatorship. Wall Street and the Military/Industrial complex are the real party and those in national office are beholden to their owners. Some out there do understand this and act accordingly whether by not voting, at least admitting this has been a problem for decades, or actively seeking ways to overcome the dictatorship. But, that last part is difficult considering how entrenched the machine has become. It is easier to be a lemming, nay, a smug lemming, and follow the Limbaughs, the Savages, the Maddows or the Stewarts (who are all corporate shills by the way, get the picture yet?) and parrot their spewed garbage as if it were gospel.

One of the major activities of the two party dictatorship is sowing divisiveness with your favorite political footballs. Abortion! Illegal Immigrants! Racism! Guns! Health Care!

Look around two party adherents, nay, zealots, and tell me when was the last time any of the events listed below happened in the last 40 years.

- Abortion was outlawed
- Government storm troopers came and took away your guns
- You wanted to pick vegetables or fruits
- Government storm troopers came and ripped up your health card
- You must stop speaking English

Well, you get the picture. It hasn't happened because it isn't going to happen. Otherwise, we could no longer be divided. We might become like Toto and pull back the curtain to reveal to the others what is happening with that man. And to update for modern times, or that woman, too.

 

9/11 Museum Of Rich Crass Elites & Tastelessness

The 9/11 Museum in New York City on "hallowed ground" has opened. Wherever one may fall along the spectrum, from believing in the government's conspiracy theory (which, of course, the museum endorses) to believing there were no planes, no one can deny that this "museum" is nothing more than a feel good for rich, crass elitists and a monument to tastelessness.

(photo by Todd Heisler, New York Times, under Fair Use)

It was bad enough that the powers that be decided to move some 8,000 pieces of remains to a repository in the same building as the new "museum" as opposed to an aboveground tomb like the Unknown Soldier. It was even worse that crass rich elitists (some of whom made a lot of money off of the attacks) attended what amounted to a cocktail party on hallowed ground before the "museum's" official opening. “You enjoy dinner & drinks on top of my brothers grave last night douchebags?” tweeted Robert Shay Jr.’s sister.

(photo by Marcus Santos, The New York Daily News, under Fair Use)

No, the real jaw dropping act of tastelessness is the gift shop. You read that right, on "hallowed ground" there rests a fucking gift shop where people will continue to make money off of the victims. Perhaps the most tasteless gift in this dive is the 9/11 Cheese Plate, complete with little stars where the attacks occurred. I'll wait as you let that sink in.

(photo by Scott Lynch, The Gothamist, under Fair Use)

If anyone is still onboard with idea that your rich overseers and politicians have always had your best interests at heart I hope this "museum" has disabused you of that. Imagine what a visit to the gift shop might be like.

"Hello, and welcome to the 9/11 Museum Gift Shop. Oh, I see you're spying our classy 9/11 Cheese Plate. Perfect for your wine and cheese parties as you discuss the latest best seller. No, no, no, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Perhaps I could interest you in one of our Mohamed Atta passport replicas? They're only $9.95 each. We also have ashtrays formed out of the steel from the girders. They make excellent conversation starters as well has a repository for your butts. Or, might I interest you in our 9/11 Paperweights? Made from the pulverized remains of your fellow citizens, it retails for only $29.95. Buy two, they make wonderful gifts!"
 

Blacks SHOULD Be Outraged Over Trayvon Martin Killing

I have been writing this over and over for the last few days. It seems 24 hours cannot pass without another piece of new information emerging. Through it all, however, I cannot shake this creeping sense of dread.

I wanted to look at the facts in the case and comment and come to a conclusion about why no one has been charged in the shooting. But, the dread I felt creeping about had to do with that passage from the 5th Amendment:

• "No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law..."

In a sense, the on-line petitions, websites, et al, calling for the shooters' arrest are depriving him of due process; something which the black community has been fighting for itself for hundreds of years. Yet, that was only half the dread; the other half was the continuing injustices perpetuated against the black community, which this case shines a blinding light upon. Because unlike so many other cases, this man has actually admitted to shooting another person dead and claimed it was in self-defense and is walking around a free man. He had deprived someone of their life without due process.

(photo: Roberto Gonzalez/Getty Images)

On February 26th, 2012, in the 50,000 or so population city of Sanford, Florida, a seventeen year old named Trayvon Martin met a completely unnecessary tragic end to his life from the 9mm bullet admittedly fired by George Zimmerman. These facts are not in dispute. As we know, the police department of Sanford believed Zimmerman's cry of self defense and did not arrest him.