It was flagellation, I know

There is something very medieval about the Terri-orists, chanting, praying, emoting in the grotesque carnival they have made of her prolonged agony.

...the penitents went about, coming first out of Germany. They were men who did public penance and scourged themselves with whips of hard knotted leather with little iron spikes. Some made themselves bleed very badly between the shoulder blades and some foolish women had cloths ready to catch the blood and smear it on their eyes, saying it was miraculous blood. While they were doing penance, they sang very mournful songs about nativity and the passion of Our Lord. The object of this penance was to put a stop to the mortality, for in that time . . . at least a third of all the people in the world died.

Historian Jean Froissart, history of the Hundred Years' War

Where is the Christianity in all this melodrama? Wouldn't Jesus have contempt for these idiots?

This idolization of the body is the antithesis of Christianity. It disturbs me in all these "right to life" passion plays. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life" -- this fixation on the human body, whether in the form of the unborn or the brain dead, is not Christian.

Maybe this is what is meant by the "antichrist", this twisting and inversion and perversion of everything Jesus was about.

Arnold + steroids

I didn't vote for the govanata. I voted against the recall.

But when Arnold came into office, I gave him the benefit of his press and thought, okay, he is an athlete, he knows about goals and the steps to get from here to there, and discipline. I thought that would make him a decent leader.

But we know now that was all lies, image. He used steriods to get that body, those "accomplishments". Which is fine, I guess. But it shows a willingness to cheat, to take shortcuts.

And he is doing that now with this reapportionment scheme, designed to take power away from his political enemies and give it to his political friends -- the steroidization of the ballot:

Are you a Repulican who can't get elected in California? Don't worry. Governer Ahnold is going to pump (clap) you up.

Sanctimony Schmanctimony

Michael Marone makes this pithy statement (among others) about some mythical progressive type he has in his brain. These are people he loathes not for their money, nor their leisure, but for their belief that one purpose of government is to provide for the common welfare:

Aware that they have done nothing to earn their money, they feel a certain sense of guilt.

Which in my brain calls up something I have long thought about certain people, wealthy, connected, likely never in this world to feel lack, who believe that government should leave all of us to fend for ourselves:

Unaware that they have done nothing to earn their money, they feel a certain sense of entitlement.

Arianna Wisdom

I've been busy cleaning my garage and simply have neglected posting here.

In the interim till next time, I give you this from Arianna Huffington, which should not be necessary in a country with a decent public education system.