Tom's Thoughts

Name:
Location: Granite Falls, North Carolina, United States

I'm an ordained United Methodist minister no longer pastoring churches, a former media producer with skills ten years out of date, a writer trying to sell my first novel, and a sales associate keeping body and soul together working for the People's Republic of Corporate America. I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world, who was my best friend for 17 years before we married.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Cheney and Gonzales Indicted

A grand jury in south Texas has indicted two of the biggest criminals in the Bush "Administration." Good. Here's the article:

Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales Indicted By Grand Jury

Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress at 4:41 PM on November 18, 2008.


A South Texas grand jury has returned multi-count indictments against Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

A South Texas grand jury has returned multi-count indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers:

The indictment accuses Cheney and Gonzales of engaging in organized criminal activity. It criticizes Cheney's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees by working through the prison companies.

Gonzales is accused of using his position while in office to stop an investigation into abuses at the federal detention centers.


Tom again: The spineless "Democrats" in Washington won't do anything, but I'm glad some Texans had the guts to do something. Anything.

Friday, November 14, 2008

On becoming more Christ-like

In 1996 the Republican Congress passed and the semi-Republican President, Bill Clinton, signed a law doing away with welfare as we knew it.

So why hasn't Fox "News" gotten the message? Could it be that they have a vested interest in keeping people's attention focused on their fellow victims instead of on their true oppressors? I got a chain-email today full of resentment about welfare recipients. I replied with similar resentment about the corporate fat cats who are being bailed out with my money. Corporate welfare costs a hell of a lot more to our national economy than helping those the Bible tells us to be concerned about.

In fact, the mindset represented by Fox, Limbaugh, etc. is totally opposite of what the Bible teaches. Every Old Testament prophet from Amos to Zechariah tells us to be concerned about the poor. John the Baptist told the Pharisees who sought righteousness that if they have two coats, give one to the poor. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had and give it to the poor because it was a hindrance to him in seeking the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus had more to say about money and taking care of the poor than about any other single subject. I haven't counted the verses for myself, but someone told me it amounts to more verses than all other subjects put together. I would believe that.

But what does the right wing noise machine harp on? Kicking the poor. Class warfare is what it amounts to. Calling on working people to support their corporate masters in looking down on those who haven't made it in this world, while giving all kinds of undeserved breaks--at taxpayers' expense--to overpaid captains of industry who make bundles by throwing Americans out of work. This is the true class warfare that's going on in this country.

And if anyone says anything about it, he/she is called a "socialist." As if name-calling settles issues. Well, I guess if you don't think, then it does.

So what do they use to lure in the sheeple who call themselves conservative Christians? Abortion and gay marriage. What does Jesus say about abortion? Not. One. Single. Word.

What do the Gospels record Jesus saying about homosexuality? Not. One. Single. Word.

What do those who exploit gullible Christians say about what Jesus spend verse after verse, chapter after chapter talking about--namely the exploitation of the poor by the rich? Not. One. Single. Word.

Yet the "liberal media" defines "Christian" as those who promote this un-Christlike mindset.

I say if we want to call ourselves Christian, we'll become more aware of the actual class warfare going on in this country, and ask ourselves, "What would Jesus REALLY do?"