Bloomberg and White House Intelligence????

"If you waited to make sure all of your information was accurate, you'd only find out after the event had taken place," he told WNBC television on Sunday. The mayor, who is facing re-election next month, continued over the weekend to urge New Yorkers and visitors to "go about our business."---Mayor Bloomberg

This sounds like the run up to the invasion of Iraq. (They have weapons of mass destruction. We have good intelligence. If we wait for proof, it will be in the form of a mushroom cloud.)

Blah, Blah, Blah---anytime the Republicans are found to be the corporate whores that they are and we see their true heart could care less about real Americans a terror alert is called upon to bring America back to their side. If you really think that they could do anything to stop a real threat you have got a major rationale problem. I love how they can claim that they have stopped attack after attack and can provide no proof. This whole heightened security in New York is nothing more than the normal Republican red herring. If they distract real Americans and the media from the real problems facing the nation then maybe they can maintain their majority and help their corporate friends with tax breaks, and no bid contracts at the same time.

And as for the second part of the statement “go about your business” that sounds a lot like “if we stop shopping the terrorist will have won, keep going about your business, no sacrifice will be called upon by this generation of Americans.” If you want to know what I mean by that, it is that the Republicans are running up a huge debt that mine and your kids are going to have to figure out a way to pay for and the Republicans and their corporate friends are polluting the environment that mine and your children are going to have to find a way to clean up.

Every time the news media shows a armed soldier in the Subway system and quotes a citizen as saying they feel more secure because of it the Republicans clap for joy. It really does not matter that that guard is there because of bullshit intelligence and he would not be able to stop a suicide bomber even if he wanted to. Kudos to the Republicans for the distraction around a holiday and the national pastime in New York, and thumbs down to the media for swallowing this crap hook line and sinker.

Goodbye SPC

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

These are the words that I was meditating on during my last service at SPC. These are the words that I heard Randy utter over and over to everyone as they came to take communion.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

Do you think the Romans had any idea what they were unleashing with every lash of Jesus? Do you think the Romans had any idea the power that they were about to free when they tried to break Jesus with the heavy cross to carry? Do think they had any idea what they were really driving those nails through? Was Jesus even aware of what was about to be released when the spear was thrust into his side?

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

They released a power that to this day has no equal. They released a power that a church I am proud to call home epitomizes. They released a power that is in all of us and also waiting to comfort all of us. They released a power that knows no boundaries, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

When we choose to use this power it somehow comes back to us ten fold. Like the wind you never know what direction this power may come from but unlike the wind we each have the power to release it whenever we want. Most of the time when this power is released we leave ourselves exposed and vulnerable, but it is worth it.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

I am proud to say that my Church, SPC, is a church that is always willing to give this power to everyone who enters its doors. With our belief in this power we leave ourselves vulnerable to attack. With our interpretation of how this power is for everyone we leave ourselves exposed. I am so happy to have found a Church that knows the real meaning of the words.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

Love, love, love, love was released that day, and it can never be stopped. Love, as Dr. Tremba teaches, is another name for Jesus. Jesus was human, but the Love that was released upon his death was of God. The Love that continually tries to heal this world, the Love that will forever live within us all, the love that was stored inside that human vessel is the feast upon which we all need to feed.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

Thank you, Romans. Thank you, Pharisees. Thank you for being threatened by a man who possessed so much love that he could not contain it. Only through your inability to understand this type of love are we today able to share in it.

“The body of Christ broken for you.”

Thank you, Randy and the members of SPC for teaching me the real meaning of these words.

Bush a Dreamer (Is he drinking again?)

President Bush sought on Saturday to dispel concerns about the readiness of U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces, declaring himself “encouraged” even though his top generals say the number of battalions that can fight insurgents without help has dropped.
“I’m encouraged by the increasing size and capabilities of the Iraqi security forces…and our commanders report that Iraqi forces are serving increasing effectiveness.”
During congressional testimony on Thursday, Gen. George Casey, top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S. commander in the Middle East said the number of battalions has dropped from 3 to 1 since July. -- Washington (Reuters)

If I am reading this info correctly and I am, then our President is once again trying to pull a snow job on the American public. He is once again throwing around empty rhetoric and meaningless jargon. This is what Bush and the Republicans have to offer the middle and lower class. They can not offer jobs because they and their corporate allies are selling out the middle class for profits and cheap over seas labor. They can not offer healthcare because they are in bed with the insurance industry and drug manufacturers. They can not offer energy independence (or clean air or water) because they are in bed with the oil and coal industry. What can our government under the control of Republicans offer us?
-bigger less effective government
-a dept. of homeland security that has yet to secure our ports, chemical plants, airlines, or borders
-gasoline at record highs and no solution
-7.9 trillion dollars worth of debt (~$27,000 per man, woman and child) and growing
-troops spread so thin we could not fight another campaign if we had to
-over 1900 dead American boys and girls—why because Bush wanted to take out his daddy’s enemy and wanted to help the oil industry
-Osama Bin Laden still running free
-government unable to care for and protect the most vulnerable after a natural disaster

You can not believe anything that our President utters. He is all about photo ops and jargon. He is about defending the rights of corporations over real Americans.
He is about profits for corporate donors.
I guess we are seeing what the Republican leadership in congress has to offer.
-Leader of the Senate, Bill Frist, being investigated for insider trading
-House Majority Leader, Tom Delay, indicted for campaign finance violations
-Our Representative Shelley Moore Capito has taken over $35,000 of dirty money from Delay and refused to return it
If you think she is interested in the truth about anything, I’m sorry to tell you, but her votes are bought and paid for already.

2006 is not far away. Let’s just hope that the Democrats can speak to the American people and that the American people can get past the Republican spin machines jargon and attacks.