Republican Houses passes Clean D H S Bill

Theologians are mostly full of bullshit.  Wouldn't it be interesting if there were proof one day or the other is what partisans call "Out Historic Christian Heritage"

Sean Hannity might not like it but the House passed a "Clean" Homeland Security bill today that will run through the end of September.  Not only that but CNN says this bill is new and expanded, to meet today's Homeland Security problems.  This is a good thing.  The reason why is that John Boehner must have had a change of heart and put this "Clean bill" before the full House, which passed it, and no doubt the President will be signing the thing in a day or two.  Of course Ruch Limbaugh and company say "This is just typical weakness of the Republicans, who are always backing down.  Actually it's not that common, in fact it's pretty rare for Boehner to "soften" like this and be compliant with the wishes of the Majority of the body.  But CNN says "Of course there is everything else the Republicans to pick a fight about".

The Forengi have a saying “War is good for Business”.  Of course being the optimists they are they also have another saying, “Peace is good for Business”.   But the NASDAC is now over five thousand for only the second time and the highest it’s been since the year 2000.   This was that famed “dot com” bubble.  The Dow Jones Industrials is at new highs now at something like 18,250.   So if you’re bullish on America now, you’re making money.  War really seems to be good for business, and Sean Hanniity says we might be headed for a nuclear war.  I’m glad Sean Hannity showed clips of Netenyahoo’s speech because it saved me having to watch the whole thing.   According to various democrats including the President, “Absolutely nothing new was said in this speech”.  This wasn’t a speech to “inform” congress of anything; it was strictly red meat for the political base.  Many democrats boycotted including Nancy Pelosi.  John Lewis made critical remarks about the speech.  And Obama’s voice had a hard edge to it you only hear according to Rush, when he’s really angry and trying to tamp it down.   Rush Limbaugh claims that the Obama administration said it was OK for Iran to build a nuclear bomb “If they promise not to use it for ten years” or something.  It was September of 2012 that Netenyahoo gave his “red lines” speech at the UN saying that Iran was months away from having a nuclear weapon and they’d definitely have an operational weapon next summer.  (Which would have been 2013)  This whole “any day now” like of the Israeli prime minister gets really old repeated year after year.  He kept saying “Israel’s survival is at stake”.   Israel’s survival will never be truly threatened as long as they have their Uncle Sugar, the United States- - offering them an endless stream of blank checks.  It would be interesting just to see what Israel could do on its own- - and not the six year old bratty kid who says “My daddy is gona get you” to bullies.  But there is a glaring fact Sean Hannity is missing.  “What, just one?”  Iran is in a gold fish bowl now.  It had nuclear inspectors crawling all over that country.  It’s ringed with US military bases, just as Russia is ringed with US military bases.  It’s hard to believe that Iran could get away with so much as sneasing out of turn.  Remember that Israel is the one with the Nuclear bomb.  But Iran is the signatory to the non proliferation treaty.  Israel is not.  I can’t get certain images out of my head, such as the Mossad saying that Iran had no Nukes and would not be having Nukes, but this report was suppressed, because it doesn’t comport with the air of paranoia that Israel wants to convey to the world.  I can’t get the image of a couple weeks back of Israel savagely and ruthlessly attacking the SS Liberty, a US spy ship, and the United States did nothing about it by way of retaliation.  And Israel was counting on the fact that the US wouldn’t retaliate.  I can’t get the image out of my head of Israel bombing the people of Gaza back to the stone age last summer.  And yet we’re supposed to all love Israel because they are a democracy.  Well, the Confederate States were a democracy, too.  And we went to war with them.  If “God” for lack of a better term- - thinks I need a “change of heart” twords Israel, then surprise me with good news I didn’t know.  Sean Hannity said “Take a look and you know deep down that Netenyahoo was right in his speech today.  In a fit of spontenaity early this morning I actually prayed that “I hope Netenyahoo’s speech gives Glory to God”.  I don’t know why I prayed that.  Ask me about Israel when I’ve had a better day.  You see I’d like to think of Judahism as “something other than the religion that hates Islam”.   And I would say the same thing of Islam.  Israel has some wonderful things.  They have a European style democracy.  They have all these religious sites that pilgrims from all over the world come to see and presumably be inspired by and who knows - - perhaps even being closer to God.   They have all this marvelous medical research and crop irrigation, and a symphony orchestra.  Do they deserve a medal for that?  I’m just not feeling a lot of love for Israel at this point.

Norman Goldman says that peace with the Palestinians on the West Bank is obtainable because the leaders such as Abass, Goldman pronounces as “reasonable”.  I’ll defer to his judgement.  Of course if labor wins the Israeli elections in just two weeks- - then Peace with the West Bank is as likely as it’s ever been.  Considering the fact of the settlements and building that wall in West Bank territory, the fact that the West Bank wants to talk at all is a miracle.  I find it troubling that Netenyahoo is going to use this footage before our Congress as some sort of a backdrop for a campaign commercial seems, in Goldman’s words “a bit unseemly”.   In terms of Iran - - President Obama has stated “There IS no deal with Iran right now, and if Iran doesn’t follow through with their promises to us, there WILL BE no deal.  That sounds reasonable.  It bothers me if that darker scenario is at all true in that Netenyahoo secretly WANTS the deal to fail and in fact WANTS war, perhaps as an excuse to use all of those Nukes in their arsenal.

In terms of this LAPD skid row shooting thing some new facts have emerged.  The bystanders’ concencus was that the police “over reacted” by shooting and killing the guy.  We have certain “normal images” of police and guns.  With TV we are used to see the criminals with guns, too and threatening and hiding out in the bushes, and firing back.  All five shots in this case were fired by the LAPD.   I didn’t know that when I first watched the video.  I wasn’t sure what was happening.  We are used to cops facing dangerous desperados and drug dealers like with Miami Vice and things.  Thirty or forty years ago we were used to the police facing dangerous criminals, not homeless drunks, who are hiding out in a make-shift tent.  We are told the guy was “taking swings at the police” and the police produced individual shadowy frame stills, demonstrating to their satisfaction that the guy was going after the officer’s gun.  There was even a report that one of the officers was missing his weapon.  A lot of this stuff no doubt goes on all the time, and always has.  But it’s just that we didn’t see it because there weren’t all of these handy videos floating around in the old days, thirty or forty years ago.

I don’t see the problem with Hillary using a “Personal E mail account” for her official government E mails.  I don’t know what is “regular’ and what is “irregular policy”.  All we are told now is that “Hillary is in the hot seat after Bombshell revelations”.   I know that they are trying to “Bengazi” Hillary to death.  Keep in mind that countless comgressional committees have exhonorated officials of the Obama administration in this matter.  But those people on the right like Rush and Hannity like to pretend that these “findings of fact” never existed.  Nobody wants to coronate her as Queen Hillary the first.  Of course we want her to face the fire of campaign opposition and investigation.  But there is such a desperation in the sort of things the republicans are bringing up- - like trying to breathe new life into the Monica Luinsky thing.

Let’s jump to the soap opera and today’s lesson in life which is “Sometimes making peace with your foes just doesn’t work”.   For instance Sonny wanted independent confirmation that his “husband” Will was telling him the truth about all his interractions with Paul.  He was telling him the truth.  But that no longer mattered.  He said he needed to get away by himself and “think things over” so he is taking off to Arizona to see his brother Alex and enjoy the warm climate.  Nicole tried to make nice with Maxine, who gave her the cold shoulder telling her “deliver the gift yourself.  I’m not going to be played as a means of your getting your claws back into Dr Jonas.   The conversation with Serena went in a similar vein.  Nicole said nothing offensive, but Serena took offence at virtually every sentence she said.  Then we have Jennifer bursting in on Eve Larsen and her son making love.  Jennifer pretty much read Eve the riot act.  It’s one thing to believe an individual is total slime.  It’s another thing to have proof beyond your wildest nightmares.  I don’t know whether Eve feels utterly disgusted with herself or not.  Does Eve have a conscience at all?   Then we have Serena, Melanie, Parker and the elephant statue.  So are you going to snatch a toy out of a little boy’s hands?   Is Serena that cold?