Holocaust denial? Hey, it goes with the territory. Feminist bashing apropos of nothing? OK, a little off topic, but what the heck. Defending Louis XVI? Now I've heard everything.

I realizzed that 30 some years ago when I was a student in parochial school. The nuns and priests told us that US slavery was justified because it 'gave the blacks Christianity' and that Hannukah was the Jewish way of giving their kids presents so they didn't feel left out at Christmas.

(Slaps forehead)

The religious right has demanded US marriage laws defer to their sacred texts on the false grounds marriage is a religious institution, when, in fact, it predates their religion by a millenium.

That's Ms. Miller not Millar. My apologies for the typo.

god dammit, now you really have me confused. next thing you're going to tell me is the Virgin Mary didn't really ascend to heaven, while all the Apostles were looking up her robe. stop it!

What does Patrick McEvoy-Halston mean, when he says "..ensure children grow up in more loving, nurturing, supportive environments"? Pardon me, but it sounds a bit like he's quite ready to criticize the way I'm raising my kid. A message: Please don't be so quick to judge others. It's bad form, my brother. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." For today's proverbial stones come in the form of slander, more often than not, via the info-age, and the rise of moral mudslinging as growth industries. More than one person has lost their shirt because of a well versed back stabber.

The protection of children is paramount in everyone's affairs. This is why it's so obvious when overly critical people, without much to really say, always seem to jump quickly at criticizing parenting. Have you ever been a parent? If so, then you know, like in the spirit of Dr. Spock, that the business of parenting is rife with irony and controversy. Hence, protectionism and its crony, hyper-morality is the boon of the politically religious and other conservative Americans, who don't have anything better to do with their weak minds. While the weak minds of Americans who eagerly listen to this carp, then eagerly criticize and prosecute, is similarly obvious.

One time I was waiting in line at the market. I forgot exactly what was said in this pseudo-friendly environment, but I remember that someone was commenting about something that someone else said about something or other. Sorry, okay, it had to do with some kind of relationship problem, or situation involving parenting. Then, this older woman (I think she was Jewish, like in a Walter Matteau kind of way) made a conversation stopping, Yoda-ish comment about the subject at hand. She said: "You don't really know what happened, though." Though I forget the exact subject that was being discussed, I've never forgotten this very open-minded response, and how my eyes, at that very moment, suddenly looked over at the tabloid news, ever present on the market shelves, for all who would judge others to conveniently contribute their overworked opinions to the mess of over-judgment that we call public opinion.

Point being, unless you were there, what the hell do you, or does anybody, really know about what happened in the past? The complications, economic, sociopolitical etc. that arose during the rise of Nazis in Germany after WWI is perfect material for debate, exactly because of these complications. Just like American politics. Just like any politics, back to ancient Greece, Egypt, the beginning of time itself.

I tend to believe the Wellsian version of post-WWI 'history,' that the Treaty of Versailles and its carving up of Germany and other losers of that conflict probably had much to do with Germany's response to the economic crises of the roaring 20s irresponsible investing (Great Depresssion) along with the soviets' blundering of its social experiment. Call it what you want in your revision, but a "series of bad decisions" doesn't usually happen by itself, in terms of world economics, or even a single nation's economic blunders.

Wells made a point of saying that all of it, all economy and war, is connected. From the seemingly most insignificant peasant, to the stock market's riskiest of affairs. I believe it, and I tend to believe his version of the Versailles treaty, particularly these foreign offices' treatment of Wilson and his League of Nations, points of light. After all, he was there when it happened, wasn't he?

Wells was the kind of writer whose main interest was in serving young people with the truth about conniving human interests, from the top down. He was that kind of political journalist. Many educators today, follow in this line of thinking. What's wrong with that? It could only spark debate from people (conservatives, Republicans) who, somehow find themselves defending history for the sake of 'the managers.'

Anybody who's ever worked in a big company and kept their eyes open knows that the managers are usually working for their own interests, not that of the lowest employees (the Quaker Oats company etc. not withstanding). History reflects this, in more ways than one. Consequently, as we inevitably reserve the version of history that best suits our own interests, those of us who are under the gun of more powerful people above us, are likely to have believed the sanest versions of history, simply because we have fewer secrets and lies to protect.

They are slaves who fear to speak,

For the fallen and the weak.

James Russell Lowell

"PROTESTS IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO ~ NOT on the Controlled News Media !"

http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/peace_freedom/patriots_and_protesters/news.php?q=1247249620

When I read this I started laughing uncontrollably - perfect comic relief for wading through many letters :

><>><><<><>><><< (paradiddles)

"One of my favorite fallacies is "Hell". Upon converting to Judaism from Christianity my sister told me I would go to "Hell" for abandoning Jesus.

"Ha" I retorted, "Hell is totally fictitious, and doesn't exist in the Old Testament, which is the Jewish bible, so guess I won't be going there."

Totally perturbed she called her minister who also couldn't find Hell in the Old Testament.

Triumphantly, my sister's husbant crowed, "The Devil (or Satan) is mentioned in the Old Testament, and he lives in Hell!"

Clearly any piece of history can be twisted to suit one's point of view."

><>><><<><>><><< (more paradiddles)

Then, I read the commentator's handle/name: peterpan

and was rolling on the floor, laughing for several minutes...

Is this because I'm psychotic?

Maybe, I hope so....

"Christians in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=487412&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=487412

""A few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended a meeting at a government office in Jerusalem's Givat Shaul quarter. When he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came and knocked on the window. When the clergyman let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.

The clergyman prefered not to lodge a complaint with the police and told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot.

On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.

Both were questioned by police and the yeshiva student will be brought to trial. The Jerusalem District Court has meanwhile banned the student from approaching the Old City for 75 days.

But the Armenians are far from satisfied by the police action and say this sort of thing has been going on for years. Archbishop Nourhan Manougian says he expects the education minister to say something.

"When there is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government is incensed, so why when our religion and pride are hurt, don't they take harsher measures?" he asks.

According to Daniel Rossing, former adviser to the Religious Affairs Ministry on Christian affairs and director of a Jerusalem center for Christian-Jewish dialogue, there has been an increase in the number of such incidents recently, "as part of a general atmosphere of lack of tolerance in the country."

...

"Reporter feels mob's hate in the Holy City"
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/06/2617502.htm?section=world

"The ABC's Middle East correspondent Anne Barker became caught in violent street protests involving ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem at the weekend. This is her graphic account of her ordeal.

As a journalist I've covered more than my share of protests. Political protests in Canberra. Unions protesting for better conditions. Angry, loud protests against governments, or against perceived abuses of human rights.

I've been at violent rallies in East Timor. I've had rocks and metal darts thrown my way. I've come up against riot police.

But I have to admit no protest - indeed no story in my career - has distressed me in the way I was distressed at a protest in Jerusalem on Saturday involving several hundred ultra-Orthodox Jews.

This particular protest has been going on for weeks.

Orthodox Jews are angry at the local council's decision to open a municipal carpark on Saturdays - or Shabbat, the day of rest for Jews.

It's a day when Jews are not supposed to do anything resembling work, which can include something as simple as flicking a switch, turning on a light or driving.

So even opening a simple carpark to accommodate the increasing number of tourists visiting Jerusalem's Old City is highly offensive to Orthodox Jews because it's seen as a desecration of the Shabbat, by encouraging people to drive.

I was aware that earlier protests had erupted into violence on previous weekends - Orthodox Jews throwing rocks at police, or setting rubbish bins alight, even throwing dirty nappies or rotting rubbish at anyone they perceive to be desecrating the Shabbat.

But I never expected their anger would be directed at me.

I was mindful I would need to dress conservatively and keep out of harm's way. But I made my mistake when I parked the car and started walking towards the protest, not fully sure which street was which.

By the time I realised I'd come up the wrong street it was too late.

I suddenly found myself in the thick of the protest - in the midst of hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews in their long coats and sable-fur hats.

They might be supremely religious, but their behaviour - to me - was far from charitable or benevolent.

As the protest became noisier and the crowd began yelling, I took my recorder and microphone out of my bag to record the sound.

Suddenly the crowd turned on me, screaming in my face. Dozens of angry men began spitting on me.

Spit like rain

I found myself herded against a brick wall as they kept on spitting - on my face, my hair, my clothes, my arms.

It was like rain, coming at me from all directions - hitting my recorder, my bag, my shoes, even my glasses.

Big gobs of spit landed on me like heavy raindrops. I could even smell it as it fell on my face.

Somewhere behind me - I didn't see him - a man on a stairway either kicked me in the head or knocked something heavy against me."

...