Friday LMAO: The Real TRUTH About Obama's Birth Certificate, Etc., Etc.

Frank J, of IMAO fame, channels his inner Campaign For Liberty to hit conspiracy-theory gold: Birthers Have a Point: Is Hawaii Really a State?. Read it all. Favorite line:

Also, it’s well established that the Hawaiians are serial liars, and they could be lying about Obama now just like when they set off bombs at Pearl Harbor and blamed it on the Japanese.

I wonder, though, why Frank makes no mention of the Illuminiti, the Bilderburg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, or The Federal Reserve? They MUST have a role in this, since we all know they control everything...

"When The Foundations Are Being Destroyed..."

Last week's sermon at Saint Luke's, Baton Rouge. Listen to it all.

Bloggers, DO NOT Link to AP Stories.

It has been said, cynically, that the First Amendment only exists to protect two for-profit industries: The sale of Salvation and the Sale of Information. Seems like the cynic may be right about the latter:

AP’s press release is troubling enough, but in a related New York Times interview that day with Richard Perez-Peña, AP’s Curley added this:

The company’s position was that even minimal use of a news article online required a licensing agreement with the news organization that produced it. He specifically cited references that include a headline and a link to an article, a standard practice of search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, news aggregators, and blogs. (Emphasis mine.)

That's right - link to an AP story, the AP may come after you. So when you hear "professional" journalists waxing sanctimonious about them protecting freedom of speech and freedom of the press, remember it is, in reality, so much bullshit. They are protecting their turf. Nothing more.

So from now on I will not link to any article where I see the "AP" moniker. Which means no more RSR traffic to those online newspaper and magazine websites to read those articles - and fewer eyes to see all those banner ads those websites charge for.

I may be one website with a couple hundred readers (on a good day - ed.), but RSR ain't alone here. So how 'bout it, my fellow bloggers - an AP boycott?

For Matthew.

I do love the classics, but in this case I prefer Branagh's Henry:

Are We All Euro-weenies Now?

It used to be, and not all that long ago, that if an American really didn't like the way something was going, or found a particular situation very disagreeable, their core reaction was to go off and do it the way they thought it should be done. But nowadays, we more and more don't look to ourselves as the first line of problem solving - we look to government.

Case in point: TV newsguy Dan Rather doesn't like the way things are going for "journalism" these days, what with the Mainstream Media's plummeting readership and viewership, and the commensurate loss of income and credibility. (Funny, talk radio and Fox News seems to be doing just fine... -ed.) Dan doesn't like this at all.

His solution? Form. A. Government. Commission. Really:

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.

“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said.

Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to keep news organizations alive.

Now 'Ol Dan has made some pretty good jack over the years working for CBS, and I think he also wrote a few books. So, Dan... why don't you put your own money where your mouth is, not the taxpayer's cash? If you don't like the current model for the Lefty Media, start your own newspaper, or TV station, or radio network, and show us how you think it should be done. Let the market decide!

Today's Required LMAO.

Chris Johnson, of Midwest Conservative Journal fame, has a new venue; and it's funniest damn website I've seen in some time: Bad Vestments.

Go there. Now. Standard drink-sprayed-on-monitor warnings apply.

But Wait! There's Less!!

The Grey Man channels Billy Mays and opines once again on Obamacare:

"I Beleive In One Gaia, The Mother Almighty..."

Global warning - religion of the First World urban elite. I'd say religious faith is a fair assessment of how climate change is treated these days in the salons of urbane Europe and America - even by some religions. I think this sermon pretty much proves the point.

Hey, I'm Not Alone.

Via Matthew, a listing of christian libertarian blogs.

Who knew??

A Prediction. (UPDATED)

The Messiah and his followers have produced a lot of sound and fury of late, but it has signified almost nothing - the "stimulus" has had no effect (except to put us more in debt to the Chinese), nationalized health care is tanking, cap-n-tax may not have the votes, and the Europeans aren't loving the US like he hoped.

Yes, Obama just got a "wise Latina" on the Supreme Court (speaking of "racism"...), but let's be honest - the Faithful want more. If things continue as they have for Team Hopenchange, do not be surprised if they soon roll out an old, red-meat standby: "common-sense gun control".

Yes, "gun control" is a net loser for Democrats, but other things Obama thought would be net gainers - such as nationalizing health care, kissing Iran's butt - haven't been. So going after guns wouldn't rile up the conservatives much more than they are now, would fire up the Lefty base, and would distract from Obama's current troubles by giving his cheerleaders in the press something else to focus on.

I hope I'm wrong. But in case I'm not, order your AR or AK now. Avoid the rush.

UPDATE 29JULY09: Looks like they are first going to play the race card.

More Distrubance In The Force. (UPDATED)

As you know, I am not a fan of Rep. Ron Paul and his disciples. Not at all. Here's a big reason why I think he, and his Campaign for Liberty, are as big a threat to the libertarian / conservative movement as Obama and the Lefty Democrats.

And for the record: While I may disagree - and disagree vehemently - with Barack Obama, the State of Hawaii has (repeatedly!) produced his birth certificate. Like him or not, he meets the 'native born' Constitutional requirement to be President. Unless you "birthers" can produce conclusive proof otherwise - not circumstantial theories and supposition, please, oh, please - SHUT THE F**K UP about it!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: Tamara at View From The Porch weighs in on the "birther" thing, and brings up a good point - by obfuscating as they have, Team Hopenchange has lent fuel to this fire. Just post Obama's birth certificate on the White House website and make these "birther" idiots look like... idiots.

UPODATE 29JULY09: About the "birthers" - what he said.

The Five Freedoms...

...You will lose under ObamaCare. These are in addition to the freedom to keep what's in your wallet - you'll loose that one for sure.

A Taxing Consistency.

Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard professor at the center of that "racial" incident, also seems to have a small tax problem. Which shouldn't surprise anyone - lots of friends of The President seem have some kind of tax problem.

Episcopal Church (tm) Fun Fact!

Hey, Kate and Gene - how's that "full inclusion" thing working out for you? Oh, yeah:

In a historic shift, more people are now attending Assemblies of God churches on weekday nights than worship in Episcopal Churches on Sunday mornings.

Average mid-week evening attendance at Assemblies of God churches is now 756,263, according to the denomination’s official statistics.

Average Sunday attendance, among Episcopalians, is 727,822.

Hattip: Chris Johnson at Midwest Conservative Journal .

Today's Required Reading.

This piece on The Messiah was written last summer. But looking back on how Obama has governed since January, it very accurately defines the man and his values.

Read it all.

Hattip: Maggie's Farm.

Monday Morning Distraction.

A great collection of groaners:

CREATIVE PUNS FOR "EDUCATED MINDS"

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11.. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

21. A backward poet writes inverse.

22. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.

Hattip: Norris. Who should appreciate this:

Finally: Bumper Stickers We Can All Believe in.

If "I Support The Troops; I Oppose The War", and "Support The Troops; Bring Them Home", were acceptable bumper wear during the Bush years, then these stickers will do quite nicely for our current era.

RSR recommends you get one for each car. Two for each SUV.

(P.S. "Exurban League." Man, that works on SO many levels!!)

Cause And Effect.

Wednesday night: The Messiah's "let-me-control-your-health-care" pep talk didn't do very well.

Thursday morning: Congress says they are delaying the push for Obamacare.

Thursday afternoon: The stock market jumps 188 points, topping 9,000 for the first time since January.

Coincidence? You decide.

Hattip: Jason at Countercolumn.

A Personal Comment.

For some friends in Baton Rouge:

I'm just sayin...

Out Of The Mouths Of Prophets.

A timely lesson from the Good Book:

I Samuel 8:10-18
So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’

Hattip: Northern Plains Anglican.

Doctor Government.

The Grey Man, he speaks. You really should listen:



Heh. Even Theo noticed. Congrats, bro.

For Anne...

...Who will need to have a fresh change of drawers handy before she watches this.

See. Told you.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

The event horizon of credulity has been reached by Team Hopenchange: "We rescued the economy..."

Oh, really? Let's see how that "rescue" thing is working out:


Image: Innocent Bystanders.

Some Inclusive Questions.

If the two resolutions passed at The Episcopal Church's recent General Convention provided "clarity" concerning allowing more gay bishops and developing same-sex marriage rites, then why did Bishop Schori and Ms. Anderson feel the need to write the Archbishop of Canterbury (here and here) to explain what the two resolutions mean? (Can you say spin control, boys and girls? I knew you could.)

And what do you call a church that eliminates evangelism from it's budget, but increases - by some 122% - it's multi-million dollar expenditures for lawyers to sue to obtain local church property and to discipline clergy who won't tow the new party line? (Hint: It's hard to call it a church anymore...)

Mark Your Calendars.

On 24 September, Guinness - the elixir of the Gods - will celebrate it's 250th anniversary.

Which is a great excuse to have a pint today. And another one tomorrow...

Hattip and eternal thanks: Linda L., for introducing me to Guinness in an Irish Bar in West Berlin in 1983.

Reagan? Who's Reagan?

While I still consider myself a libertarian conservative Republican, I have been decidedly uneasy of late with that label. This piece at Rightwing Nuthouse pretty much sums up why I am uneasy.

The rise of people and outlooks like the ones mentioned at the link are no way to take back this country. And I blame the GOP for their rise. We Republicans are utterly leaderless right now, which allows fringe cooks like Ron Paul and his disciples to grab the "conservative" spotlight. Without a strong GOP vision and a proactive - not reactive - strategy, 2010 will not look like 1994.

If Obama and the Dems are starting to tank, it is because of Obama and the Dems. It is not due to any efforts of the current GOP leadership, or kooks like the Freeper in the Rightwing Nuthouse post.

Stand Firm Twitter Hashtag.

Stand Firm did a great job using Twitter to let us follow Greg, Matt, and Sarah at TEC's recent General Convention, and to let us discuss and give comment (hashtag: #sfgencon). But now that GC '09 is (thankfully!!) over, we need a place on Twitter for our conversations to continue - so I've started a new hashtag for StandFirmers: #standfirm. Put it on your church-related Tweets - let's see if we can get it to trend!

What If You Gave A Rally And The 'Wrong' People Showed Up?

That's what happened yesterday when Team Hopenchange stopped by Reserve, Louisiana (in between New Orleans and Baton Rouge) to hawk Obamacare:

Some of the audience members in Reserve wore T-shirts that read, "Hands Off My Health Care," and the loudest cheers were reserved for people who criticized the Obama administration's health care plans.

"Please carry a message to Mr. Obama that it will be a cold day in hell before he socializes my county," one man shouted at the cabinet members, who didn't respond.

Emile Hotard, 86, a retired Navy veteran from Reserve, told Sebelius he hopes the administration's health reforms stop short of "something that is universal."

"I see people from Canada every year when I go to Florida, and they're not too sure that the health care they have is good. So why will ours in the United States be better?" he asked.

Which prompted this from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has either not read the draft bill in Congress, or is lying through her teeth:

"This is not a proposal ... that we go to some kind of single-payer plan like many European nations or Canada," Sebelius said. "It is not the proposal. It is not in the bill. It is not in the draft."

Actually, Madame Secretary, yes it is:

(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.

In other words, under the Team Hopenchange plan you may still be able to write a check to the insurance company of your choice, but it will be for a government-mandated plan at government-mandated prices. Your doctor will be paid at a government-mandated fee from a government-held pot of money (paid by your taxes and your premiums), and if the government decides a procedure is not "cost-effective," you won't be able to get it. It is single-payer in everything but where you write your check.

And for goodness sake, don't get old - Team Hopenchange will require you to go through an "Advanced Care Planning Consultation" every five years. Reason? Well, let's just call it the "Logan's Run" provision.

From The Mouth Of Biden.

Obamanomics, on parade:

"You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?” Biden said. “The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.”

This is the level of economic acumen currently mortgaging us to the Chinese in a bid to buy perpetual one-party rule running our country. If George Bush had said something this stupid, this insipid, this insulting, we would never hear the end of it. But Biden, most certainly, will be given a pass by the MSM.

"The Socialist Workers Party At Prayer."

Once, The Episcopal Church (tm) was jokingly called "The Republican Party at prayer." Not anymore, Comrades:

In stereotypes from another era, snooty Episcopalians once practiced anti-Semitism lite, keeping Jews out of their country clubs and not mixing socially. Later, many Episcopalians fought hard to overturn the reality behind those stereotypes. In the 1950's and 1960's, Episcopal leaders were in the forefront of defending Israel's existence. Then in the 1970's and 1980's, much of the church endorsed Liberation Theology, which portrays Palestinians as innocent victims and Israel as the Western oppressor. Today, some Episcopal elites seem determined to return to earlier days, when the modern descendants of the ancient Hebrews were regarded with distaste.

There are no resolutions currently before this year's Episcopal General Convention directly criticizing any government in the world, except two: Israel and the United States. Resolutions mention human rights abuses in the Philippines and strife in southern Sudan but decline to criticize governments there, though surely Sudan's Islamist regime, dripping with blood of millions of victims, might merit some disapproval. There is no criticism of any Muslim or communist dictatorship around the world, though Cuba's Marxist regime is portrayed by one resolution as the victim of U.S. sanctions. In contrast, about a half dozen statements for consideration before the General Convention are aimed at Israel.

Hattip: Maggie's Farm.

UPDATE: Except, of course, TEC gets all worried about the plight of Jews when they can be used as a vehicle to bash the traditional Church...

Thursday Must See Funny.

This. (Hint: Wait a few seconds for it to play.)

Your Health Care Future.

Remember, this is to help you. Riiiiight.


UPDATE: The RSR alternative:



UPDATE II: But wait, dear readers, there's more! Remember all those Team Hopenchange promises about keeping your private insurance? Well, technically, they're correct - but you better get than plan in place before "the first day of Y1", and you better not lose it - because after that day you will not be able to get a new private plan. They will be illegal. Really:

(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.

Make no mistake. dear readers; President Obama and his yes-persons in Congress don't give a rat's ass about you, or health care, or competition, or affordability, or freedom of choice. This legislation isn't about any of that. It's about gaining and maintaining control. It's about making sure our very access to health care is dependent on government, and in particular making sure our very lives are dependent on keeping a certain group of people in power in government. Y'know, those "caring" elites. It's about giving those elites, who are certain they know what's better for us than we do, a mechanism to make sure we make those "better" choices in our lives they decide for us, and a way to keep them in power. We will have no choice.

Hattip: Pat Austin.

UPDATE 16JULY09: Others are noticing this little making private insurance illegal thing, although one of Instapundit's readers says that the language is only part of the story - it makes private insurance illegal unless (further down in the bill) it goes through a government-controlled "Health Insurance Exchange" with government mandated coverage and limits. Same difference, in my humble opinion.

Saying "Where I Am Now."

At it's ongoing General Convention, The Episcopal Church (tm) has been all about stating "where we are now", and something called Public Narrative. OK, I'll play. Being from Louisiana, and especially from New Orleans, food, and the culture of food, is something I can relate to and understand. So let me put my sentiments about “where I am now” with respect to The Episcopal Church ™ in a culinary parable:

A man - we'll call him John - was a regular at a local restaurant - which we'll call Leonidas. It was a quintessential New Orleans neighborhood eatery - a fixture and a focus for the neighborhood and it's people, inhabiting the same corner for generations. John first went there as a child, and it was as much home as was his house. When he married, John brought his wife and children there, just as his parents and grandparents had done before him. John knew the place intimately - the food, the atmosphere, the staff and the other patrons - and they knew him likewise. He never needed a menu, and the staff knew if he came in on a certain night what he would order. In a world of uncertainty, this place was a familiar and comforting constant.

But several years back new owners took over. Soon, John noticed that old favorites started disappearing from the menu, or were being replaced by something entirely different under an old name. The fried trout and the turtle soup were no longer offered, and the seafood gumbo had become a tofu gumbo. A sprout salad appeared on the menu. The owner said that putting new things on the menu would bring in more people, and tourists found the old dishes just too spicy. They had to change to fit the times.

John didn't object. He wasn't against change, per se, (he actually liked salads) and for the most part the things on the menu he preferred had been left alone. Besides, Leonidas was “his” place.

John did notice a few new patrons coming in, but he also noticed more and more of the old familiar faces were not stopping by; nor were their children. The line at the door at dinner got shorter and shorter over time, until recently you could walk in and seat yourself. When John mentioned this to the owner, they replied it was a demographic thing; and anyway, it was a plus - it made more room for newcomers.

John and his family kept goinr to Leonidas none the less. So much of their life was invested in this place; so many memories. The thought of going somewhere else was unthinkable. This is New Orleans – home is where your memories are. When the old pictures on the walls were “relocated,” John kept coming. When those pictures were tossed out and replaced by trendy artwork, John kept coming. When the owner's focus on vegetarianism became obsessive, John kept coming. When the 100-year old tables and chairs were replaced by “green” furniture, John kept coming. When the owner sued several former patrons because they had opened up a competing restaurant down the street – we'll call that one Cranmer’s - and serving the old traditional recipes Leonidas used to serve, John kept coming. Even when little on the menu satisfied him anymore, John still kept coming.

As he crossed the neutral ground to go to dinner, nowadays John could see both Leonidas and the new restaurant, Cranmer’s, just down the street. The sounds and smells coming from Cranmer’s were strong and familiar, while those from Leonidas were now dim and alien. But John always walked on.

Then one night John saw the old neon “Leonidas” sign above the door had been replaced with a new multi-colored sign announcing, “Mama Kate's Traditional New Orleans All-Vegetarian Cuisine.” The menu had been completely redone, and the last traditional New Orleans dishes as John knew them were now gone.

John realized he had to make a decision - Loyalty or Honesty. Eat at Mama Kate’s, where nothing related to him anymore (they even apologized on their new menu for having once served meat and seafood) and the current patrons scorned him; or go down the street to Cranmer's, where the food was good, and the patrons, familiar. What John wanted so badly right then was to go to Leonidas, but it wasn’t there. The building was there, but the place was gone. He hadn’t left it; it had left him.

John realized he was clinging to something that didn'e exist anymore on that corner. And no matter how much he wanted it to be otherwise, it never would again.

And so, with a heavy heart, John decided the folks at Mama Kate's could keep it. It was their's now. John kicked the dust off his shoes, got out his wallet, and began walking toward Cranmer’s. John wanted to eat and be satisfied.

The Episcopal Church - What's The Point?

The following statement was put to a vote at the ongoing General Convention of The Episcopal Church (tm):

Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That this 76th General Convention of this church affirm the conclusion of the Church of England at its February General Synod and direct the House of Bishops' Committee on Theology to report back to the 77th General Convention on "their understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in the United States multi-faith society, and offer examples and commendations of good practice in sharing the gospel of salvation through Christ alone with people of other faiths and of none."

It was... defeated. Apparently, because a majority of our Deputies did not agree with the the phrases in bold above - the ones affirming the uniqueness of Christ.

I mean, honestly; why bother with the Christian label anymore?

Today's Required Viewing.

Why you don't want a single-payer, government-run health care system: Take a look at Canada's.

Yes, the video is long, but watch it all. This is the kind of health care system Team Hopenchange want to force all of us into. If you think health care costs you a lot now, wait till you see what it will cost you once it's "free."

Stuck On Blanco.

Words fail me:

Weeks after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans and worsened the medical plight of the city's poor, then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the publicly run Charity Hospital would not reopen, even though the military had scrubbed the building to medical-ready standards, the retired Army general who oversaw the work said.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore said Blanco told him in late September 2005 the 20-story building that served the region's poor residents would not reopen.

"'Ma'am, we got the hospital clean, my people report ... if you want to use it,'" Honore recalled telling Blanco. "Her reply to me: 'Well general, we're not going to open it, we're working on a different plan.'"

Honore's revelation raises questions of whether state officials used Katrina as an excuse to leverage federal financing for a new public hospital.

Regular readers (those of you left -ed.) know that I have NO love for FEMA. But in this case I think FEMA has reason to feel like they are being scammed.

This shows - as if more proof was needed - that Blanco was the worst governor this state has had in many, many years.

OK, I'm Baaaack.

I apologize again, dear readers, for the dearth of postings. I've been in that "funk mode" for a bit now, but I need to get past it.

My Anglican / Episcopal readers may be wondering why no Simple Country Bishop Drinking Game updates, or posts about The Episcopal Church (tm) General Convention. Honestly, I've just given up. It's useless to make a point with parody when the object of your parody is already a parody of itself. I will have more to say about the goings on with The Episcopal Church (tm), and my reaction to it, later.

On the national scene, where to begin? I guess TOTUS tried to commit suicide yesterday on national television is a good place to start.

On the state and local level, pickings have been slim. But I saw something earlier that has shaken me out of my funkyness. See the next post above.

Simple Country Blogger Watch - Anaheim Addition

I know, I know. I promised. And I'm sure some of you were sitting there last night, bottle in one hand and mouse in the other, waiting for the first Simple Country Bishop Drinking Game! of General Convention. So let's make up for lost time. The RULES: You take a sip or swig (depending on the quality of libation you are drinking) each time The Simple Country Bishop uses the following words in his blog for that day: I, me, we, and mine. And each time he uses these words: God, Lord, Jesus, or Christ, you get to skip the next sip/swig.

Unlike Lambeth, I won't be commenting on the content of the posts, unless they are REALLY fisky - this time I'm just posting the results.

Results from yesterday's post were rather disappointing:

I: 4
We: 7
Me: 6
Mine: 1

Total: 18

and:

God: 3
Lord: 0
Jesus: 0
Christ: 1

Total: 4

And today's post was worse, players; but the good news is the "skip" words have doubled:

I: 7
We: 5
Me: 1
Mine: 0

Total: 13

and:

God: 3
Lord: 2
Jesus: 2
Christ: 1

Total: 8

Back tomorrow.

You're.... Outta Here!

Well, the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church (tm) is barely a day old, and already you can just feel the inclusion and diversity pouring fourth, dear readers. The Presiding Bishop didn't waste any time in her opening address declaring folks like me heretical idol-worshippers who are not in a "right" relationship with God. Because in The Episcopal Church (tm) Salvation doesn't take a Resurrection anymore - it takes a village:

The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of use alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry...

How diverse, how understanding, how inclusive, how... Episcopalian! Expect much more of the same in the coming days.

Some have wondered if The Simple Country Bishop Drinking Game will make a reappearance. Mmmmmmmaybe. Busy day at work, so stop back later for an update. Especially you, Norris.

Baton Rouge Fourth of July Tea Party.

We had ourselves a little party on the steps of the State Capitol, and about 1,500 showed up:





(images by Red Stick Rant)

If you want to know more about the Tea Party movement in Baton Rouge, go here. And if you want to host your own "mini-Tea Party," we have info for that, too.

Yes, I Am Proud.

And humbled, too.

If you live in the Baton Rouge area, don't forget tonight's festivities. If one of the scheduled speakers doesn't show, yours truly may be speaking to the assembled multitudes.

Today's Required Video.

Web Site Story. Watch it all.

The New Junior Senator From Minnesota.

After Kennedy, Dodd, Byrd, Reed, Vitter, et. al., Al Franken should fit right in.