A DEFINITION OF "NUTS"

As tragic as it is this reminds me of the Abbott & Costello "who's on first" skit.



I just can't get my head around why anyone (in this case 2) would take someone they know is suffering from war related PTSD and referred to them as "nuts" to a gun range, and hand them a loaded weapon? Since when is mixing crazy people with guns a good idea?

At 'American Sniper' murder trial, a psychosis defense

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Driving to a shooting range with his would-be assassin in the back seat of his pickup, American Sniper Chris Kyle sent a text message to friend Chad Littlefield, sitting next to him in the front seat.

"This dude is straight-up nuts," the text read, referring to Eddie Ray Routh.

Littlefield replied: "He's right behind me, watch my six," military slang meaning, "Watch my back."

A few hours later, both men were dead on the dirt floor of the shooting range at the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort near Fort Worth, shot more than 12 times in the back, hands and face by Routh, an Iraq War veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia.

There's enough crazy to go around in this tragedy to jolt Americans back to the reality that our "gun and violence" crazed society is the real culprit here. 

Consider this. There are more than 2 victims here. On one hand we praise and glorify one of the victims for stuffing a record breaking number of body bags with human beings; turning that into a blockbuster movie hit, while at the same time vilifying his killer for bagging 2 human beings and wanting to lock him away for the rest of his life. 

That's nuts! 

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Where has all the worlds wealth gone? Why are we in so much debt?  More going out than coming in, obviously, but who's holding back? To answer that question one needs to look at how wealth is distributed globally.

To put this in context, that total debt, based upon a global population of close to 7.2 billion people, would come to $27,777 per person. The World Bank’s 2014 estimate was based upon 2011 data, showing that some 17% of people in the developing world, some 1.2 billion people, lived at or below $1.25 a day.The World Is $199 Trillion in Debt, and Growing

The wealth of the world -- from all the global stock markets, insurance funds, and families -- comes out to about $200 trillion, according to the McKinsey Global Institute's new report on investors in developing nations. Who owns all that? The $200 Trillion World: Who Owns All the Wealth?

The richest 1% of the world’s population are getting wealthier, owning more than 48% of global wealth, according to a report published on Tuesday which warned growing inequality could be a trigger for recession.

According to the Credit Suisse global wealth report (pdf), a person needs just $3,650 – including the value of equity in their home – to be among the wealthiest half of world citizens. However, more than $77,000 is required to be a member of the top 10% of global wealth holders, and $798,000 to belong to the top 1%.

“Taken together, the bottom half of the global population own less than 1% of total wealth. In sharp contrast, the richest decile hold 87% of the world’s wealth, and the top percentile alone account for 48.2% of global assets,” said the annual report, now in its fifth year. Richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth, says report.

Oxfam International has released a new report called, “Working for the Few,” that contains some startling statistics on what it calls the “growing tide of inequality.”

The report states:
Almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population.

The wealth of the one percent richest people in the world amounts to $110 trillion. That’s 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population.

The bottom half of the world’s population owns the same as the richest 85 people in the world.
Seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years.

The richest one percent increased their share of income in 24 out of 26 countries for which we have data between 1980 and 2012.

In the US, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer.

ARE REPUBLICANS ANTI OR PRO FRANCIS?

Will the Pope receive a warm welcome as they will undoubtedly give to Netanyahu when he addresses Congress to promote war(s) on terror.  Or will they give Francis the cold shoulder much like they do to the president? After all Francis and Obama (not to forget Rand Paul) are pretty much on the same page when it comes to income inequality. It will be interesting to see if the Catholic congresspersons will give their spiritual leader a thumbs up or boo him off the pulpit. Let the squirming begin.



Pope Francis will have some US legislators ‘€˜squirming in their seats’ | Al Jazeera America


When Pope Francis becomes the first pope to address a joint session of Congress, in September, many Catholic theologians and activists expect that he will focus on rising global economic inequality rather than on the hot-button cultural issues that often dominate U.S. politics.

Many pundits predict that the pope will use his critique of the current global economic order to challenge his audience on the role of government in alleviating inequality as well as on immigration and climate change.

The central message of Francis’ papacy has been that “income and wealth inequality in our world is the source of social ills,” said Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobbying group best known for its Nuns on the Bus campaigns challenging income inequality and pressing for immigration reform. “Until we remedy that, we won’t have any sort of real peace or good community.”

ALL-AMERICAN JIHADIST

Nothing to do with Islam or Muslims or Terrorists and everything to do with red-blooded Americans bubbling over with hate, armed and ready to kill for a cause; what that is no one knows for sure. 

The man arrested on suspicion of killing three young Muslims in North Carolina described himself as an “anti-theist” and criticised all religions online.

Police said 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks handed himself in to officers in Chapel Hill overnight in the wake of the deaths of 23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.

He has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. As tributes poured in for the young family, a Facebook page in Hicks’ name showed that he read paralegal studies at Durham Technical Community College and described himself as a supporter of “Atheists for Equality”.

READ MORE: THREE YOUNG MUSLIMS GUNNED DOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA

A regular social media user, his last three posts were a cute dog video about the Pavlov effect, a viral advert for Air New Zealand involving mountain bikes, and a picture from United Atheists of America asking “why radical Christians and radical Muslims are so opposed to each others’ influence when they agree about so many ideological issues”.

Chapel Hill shooting suspect condemned all religions on Facebook prior to 'Muslim mass-murder' arrest

SHOULD FRANCIS BE SPANKED?

For seemingly coming out on the side of those who advocate NOT "sparing the rod"?



After just coming out against "nip & tuk" (elective cosmetic surgery) and referring to it as an "aggression" against women it's surprising to read that he seems soft on "aggression" against children.



Of course, he also didn't hold back when he claimed he would "punch" anyone who miss-spoke about his mother (I'm OK with that one) so my guess is Francis operates in the "grey" rather than the "black & white" reality many of us feel more comfortable in.  What I like to call the "Bush Doctrine" (you're either with us or against us) world view.



                                       Pope Francis on spanking | National Catholic Reporter



I'm going to safely assume that Francis was not endorsing this;



A warrant for the arrest of Adrian Peterson, one of the National Football League’s top stars, was issued Friday after he was charged in a child abuse investigation in Texas, the latest criminal case to rock the country’s most popular sport.

The charges against Peterson, a running back for the Minnesota Vikings regarded as one of the best in history, came after the police investigated claims that he had abused his son while disciplining him with a switch, or a small tree branch.

Peterson, through a lawyer, quickly sought to play down his behavior, saying he had engaged only in stern parenting.

“Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son,” his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said, adding that Peterson, 29, had experienced such discipline as a child in East Texas. “Adrian has never hidden from what happened.”

Beating children in Texas is commonly referred to as "stern parenting." My response to all those "stern" parents is to say, "please, can I borrow your switch for a second? And then can you bend over, pull down those pants, and allow me to give you a sense of what "stern" parenting feels like".

REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JOINS DOWNTON ABBEY CAST

Here's another example of why Republican run Congress is the worse run organization in the country.



 Congressman's spending brings Schock and awe


His “Downton Abbey” decor fits a pattern of spending on resort hotels, charter flights and a personal photographer.

He charters private planes and employs a personal photographer. In Aspen, Colorado, he stays at the Little Nell, a five-star resort near the ski slopes. In Las Vegas, he prefers the pricey Wynn hotel. While in Vail, Colorado, and San Francisco, it’s the Four Seasons. In Miami Beach, he’s sampled the Delano, Fontainebleau and the exclusive Soho Beach House. And in Beverly Hills, California, he’s tried both the Peninsula and the Beverly Wilshire.

Illinois GOP Rep. Aaron Schock raises a lot of money, for himself and other Republicans — he had $3.2 million in the bank at the end of December. And through his web of campaign committees, the 33-year-old lawmaker also spends lavishly.

Schock’s spending, which was always a subject of internal GOP chatter, has come under scrutiny since The Washington Post revealed last week that he had his Capitol Hill office redecorated to resemble “Downton Abbey.”

In addition to staying at expensive hotels, Schock also has spent more than $90,000 in campaign dollars on private air charters, an unusually high sum for a rank-and-file member of the House. His allies say it’s necessary so he can quickly hop between Republican districts across the country. House financial records also show that he has spent thousands of dollars in taxpayer money on private planes, which his office says helps him get around his Illinois district.


ALSO ON POLITICO: 'Downton Abbey' congressman's aide resigns over Facebook posts

 

Schock’s campaign has also purchased a $74,000 Chevrolet Tahoe to help get him around back home in Illinois, in addition to a $27,000 Ford.

To keep track of all his comings and goings, Schock has hired a personal photographer. Jonathon Link, a former Dallas-area wedding photographer, now snaps shots for Schock, and both his campaign and taxpayers pick up the bill.

To pay for all of this, Schock is constantly fundraising, and he has repeatedly attended high-profile events. On Jan. 31, 2014, Schock cut a check to the NFL for more than $10,000 to cover the cost of Super Bowl tickets. In April 2013, Schock spent $3,320 on tickets to the CMA Country Music Awards. Instead of holding fundraisers at golf courses — as dozens of other Republicans do — Schock insiders say he prefers sporting and music events.

And to keep track of this burgeoning political operation, Schock has spent more than $200,000 on lawyers since 2011, including $91,369 in the past two years. He has come under the scrutiny of the Office of Congressional Ethics for allegedly soliciting a contribution for a super PAC above the legal limits. Schock has denied any wrongdoing.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/aaron-schock-spending-115020.html#ixzz3RKIwRtVJ

SHOULD GOD HIT THE RESET BUTTON?

Is Creation a failed experiment? Is the "Grand Design" severely flawed? If humans are made in God's image what does that say about God? Or, did humans just make the story up to perpetuate a big con on the rest of creation?

Is There a Dominion Mandate?

A common position among young-earth creationists, and even the wider evangelical community, is that mankind has dominion on earth. This means that mankind has been given a special authority and rule over the creatures and the Creation. This concept is so widely applied and held that it has even earned a special doctrinal name, which is the dominion mandate.

From this concept, it has been inferred by many that a command was given to Adam, and all of his descendants, to have dominion and rule over all the animal kind, and the Creation. Therefore, all of humanity are recipients of this perceived Adamic dominion.

The dominion mandate, itself, is not named nor defined in Scripture, and so offering a deeper definition, which everyone can agree on, is not possible. However, it is possible to locate where the idea of the dominion mandate stems from. It is the biblical passage in Genesis 1:26–28:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

There's evidence beginning to pile up that humans have failed miserably in protecting their environment and the creatures they are accountable to. 

The problem seems to lie in how humans exercise their God-given gift of "free will." From day one the consequences have been disastrous. Much like a kid on a sliding board, humanity has been on a slide into self extinction and taking every other living thing with them;

Some scientists, Guy McPherson included, fear that climate disruption is so serious, with so many self-reinforcing feedback loops already in play, that humans are in the process of causing our own extinction. Are Humans Going Extinct?

You would expect that "survival of the species" would trump everything else. That's not case with humans;

As the global impacts of anthropomorphic climate disruption continue to intensify, corporations and the global elite continue to plunder our planet, subjecting areas of the planet that already face fresh-water scarcity issues and other environmental contamination problems to still greater risks from various forms of pollution. Planet or Profit?

So where does that leave us?

With atomic scientists' "Doomsday Clock" two minutes closer to midnight and a report from the National Climatic Data Center confirming that 2014 was the hottest year on record, Congress is trying to move us closer to ecocide. Reversing course will require urgent, concerted action. Three Minutes to Midnight: Can We Turn the Clock Back in Time?

So, is it possible to save ourselves from ourselves?  Or, will God come to our rescue? The prophets of old and today's Evangelicals (the Armageddon fans) would say No! Too Late! Sorry! The time has come to meet our Maker or; for some of us?

There are a few voices out there who still cling on to hope. Not in humanity as we know it, but a by-product in what could be what God had in mind all along;

Some futurists think the singularity — the point at which artificial intelligence can match, and then overtake, human smarts — might happen in just 16 years, while others say by 2100. Either way, it's near.   Intelligent Robots Will Overtake Humans by 2100, Experts Say