You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Now here's some real shit one could not make up

Killing for the House of Jesus — church trophy hunt raises a storm

The Schweizer-Reneke Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk boosts funds by offering prizes for killing as many wild animals as possible. The prizes? The licence to kill even bigger wild animals . . . On registration and deposit of R2,000, teams of two hunters were required to shoot jackals, caracals, warthogs, porcupines, guinea fowl and pheasants.

The winners were awarded licences to shoot two lions, three kudu, a day of deep-sea fishing off St Lucia and “many other prizes”. Entry included dinner at the prizegiving ceremony. From the advertisement, it seemed that the first round of hunts took place between 28-30 July. . . .

Was such a hunt in line with AP Kerk policy? Daily Maverick wrote to the Director of Church Administration, Rev JL Schütte, but received no reply. His position could possibly be gleaned from a letter written to the State President, Cyril Ramaposa, accusing him of “making a mockery of prayer and God’s law” and of “plundering the country” for 25 years.

“Your government,” he writes, “undermines the value and dignity of life and incites carnage by not punishing those who incite death and violence.” The government, he insisted, was undercutting parental authority by criminalising corporal punishment, allowing abortion and outlawing the death penalty. “The foundation of your government rests on the premise of the rights of people and not on the right of God. The much-vaunted constitution carries within itself the germ of ruin.”

One can infer from these sentiments that, given the approval of whipping and the death penalty, raising money for the church by killing wild animals for pleasure would probably not be seen as a moral problem
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article ... s-a-storm/
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Econoline
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Econoline »

Lock her up.jpg
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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

For a while we had a sort of sub thread about who was the dumbest Member of Congress and Marjorie Taylor Green (who brought the Jewish space lasers to worldwide attention) and Louie Gohmert (passim; but I did like his notion that the US Forest Service could change the path of Earth's orbit around the sun in order to kill climate change [well at least he was taking the problem seriously]) were in the lead. However an early favorite is now showing that she is not to be trifled with and is back among the front runners. I refer of course to gun freak and failed restaurateur and Bible scholar Lauren Boebert who was preaching from Romans 1:29 - 32 about all that 'wanton killing' and seemed to think that this was some sort of Chinese dumpling form of execution. She should have known that Romans was written prior to Marco Polo discovering the delights of Chinese food; and anyway wasn't it General Tso who did all the killing?

Big RR
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Big RR »

Nah, General Tso was chicken.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by BoSoxGal »

I don’t know much about General Tso beyond him having the souls of billions of chickens associated with him. I was never a fan having only found mediocre Chinese restaurants in my life travels thus far, but I saw this documentary a few years back and it’s made me wish for a really well prepared version of the dish. I highly recommend the film, btw.



https://youtu.be/gctopt7hPqI
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Joe Guy
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Joe Guy »

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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

.. . and in more absolutely fucking bonkers news from the Trump years, he offered the West Bank to Jordan. It wasn't his to give whatever you might think of the Israel situation.

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Sue U
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Sue U »

Yeah, just what Jordan needs. :roll: :roll: :roll: Pretty sure Jordan is quite happy to be rid of the Palestinians.
GAH!

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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Sue U wrote:
Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:05 am
Yeah, just what Jordan needs. :roll: :roll: :roll: Pretty sure Jordan is quite happy to be rid of the Palestinians.
I've been there. That's true.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Scooter
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Scooter »

Trump is offering to 'head up' a group to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine

Former President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that he could lead a team to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.

In several posts on Truth Social, Trump referenced the unprecedented leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines while offering ideas on what he could contribute to the situation.

In his first post, Trump claimed the pipeline had been sabotaged, which "could lead to major escalation, or War!"

"U.S. 'Leadership' should remain 'cool, calm, and dry' on the SABOTAGE of the Nord Stream Pipelines. This is a big event that should not entail a big solution, at least not yet," the former president wrote.

Trump also repeated his claim that the Ukraine war would never have happened if he had been president and offered solutions to the situation.

"Do not make matters worse with the pipeline blowup. Be strategic, be smart (brilliant!), get a negotiated deal done NOW," Trump wrote. "Both sides need and want it. The entire World is at stake. I will head up group???"

A representative at Trump's post-presidential press office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Trump's suggestion that he head up a team to de-escalate tensions with Russia stands in stark contrast to some statements he made in the early days of the Ukraine war.

n March, Trump said he would send nuclear submarines to go "up and down" Russia's coast to pressure Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump also suggested that the US put Chinese flags on its fighter jets and use them to "bomb the shit" out of Russia.

Trump's saber-rattling came after he commended Russian President Vladimir Putin for the latter's actions in relation to Ukraine.

In February, Trump lauded Putin's justification for invading Ukraine as "savvy" and "genius." Later that month, Trump called Putin "smart" for supposedly "playing" President Joe Biden "like a drum."

Trump's comments on Wednesday were not the first time he has called for Russia and Ukraine to "figure out" a solution. In April, he said the two countries should negotiate peace "now — not later — when everyone will be DEAD!"

That same month, a 2019 clip surfaced of Trump suggesting to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he "get together" with Putin to solve their "problem," which prompted a look of shock and disgust from the Ukrainian leader.

It is unclear how effective Trump would be as a negotiator, but he is known to have had significant ties with Russia. The former president spent decades trying to break ground in Moscow with his business. Last June, Putin praised Trump for being an "extraordinary" and "talented" individual last June.

Special counsel Robert Mueller probed Trump's ties with Russia following accusations that the Russian government, under Putin's direction, had helped Trump win the presidency in 2016 by waging an "influence campaign" against his rival, Hillary Clinton. For his part, Trump has denied any wrongdoing, calling the probe a hoax.
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Joe Guy
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Joe Guy »

Trump should take Dennis Rodman with him to meet with Putin because Rodman has proven that he can relate well to strong leaders who are adversaries of the U.S. - like Kim Jong-un for example.

He also should let Rodman do the talking. Trump could get results larger than the world has ever seen the likes of and then Rodman could run as Trump's VP in the 2024 election.

Further, I think it would really help Trump if he would spread the word that the U.S. manufactures the more cheese than any single country in the world. Then, Trump can run for president in 2024 and he could say that he will, "Make America Grate Again".

Never mind.....

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Scooter
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

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It’s OK to Ask Detained Tourists About Abortions, US Border Agency Says

An Australian tourist who was deported from the US after being asked whether she had recently had an abortion has been told by Custom and Borders Protection (CBP) that agents acted properly in their interactions with her.

Madolline Gourley was transiting through Los Angeles International Airport at the end of June on her way to Canada when she was detained over suspicions she had breached the conditions of the visa waiver programme.

While detained she was asked by a CBP agent whether she was pregnant – she wasn’t – and whether she had recently had an abortion. Just days earlier, Roe v. Wade had been overturned by the US Supreme Court, the 1973 court case that legalised abortion across the US. However, abortion remained legal in California, Australia, and Canada, where Gourley, 32, was due to cat-sit in exchange for a holiday.

“I wasn't distressed or upset by this particular question,” Gourley told VICE World News over email, “but I remember thinking, ‘Did she seriously just ask that?’ I couldn't believe what I just heard.”

At the time, CBP said it regretted “any inconvenience or unpleasantness a passenger may have experienced during his/her CBP processing” and that “we take allegations of unprofessional behavior seriously. CBP has standard procedures for handling allegations of misconduct. If we confirm employee misconduct, we will take firm and appropriate action to correct the situation.”

In a recent interview, a CBP spokesperson denied that Gourley had even ever been questioned about an abortion specifically. However, a special agent who called Gourley this week with a follow-up told her it was policy to ask about “termination of pregnancy.”

The agent told her an investigation into Gourley’s experience “did not reveal any derogatory action from the part of any CBP employee”.

“The questions you were asked were in line with the policies and procedures related to travellers in CBP custody,” the CBP official said. “Under current guidelines, CBP officials are required to collect information regarding potential medical issues, including pregnancy, postpartum and termination of pregnancy to childbearing females in CBP custody. This is done to ensure the health and wellbeing of those under our custody and is a top priority for CBP.”

The wording of the special agent conflicts with the CBP’s publicly available policy regarding women of childbearing age, where termination is not mentioned once. It defines pregnancy loss as “stillbirths and miscarriages.”

It also conflicts with what the CBP told VICE World News after being approached for comment.

A spokesperson said they could not comment on what they characterised as a private conversation between an individual and a CBP official, but said that “the correct terminology is pregnancy loss” and that “under current guidelines CBP officials are required to collect information regarding potential medical issues of concern, including pregnancy, postpartum and pregnancy loss to childbearing females in CBP custody” – not “termination of pregnancy” as Gourley was told on the phone.

Gourley told VICE World News that she was not asked any other questions about her health or existing medical conditions by the agent while being detained last June, despite actually having an autoimmune disease. 10 minutes before she was told her entry was refused, another officer asked her if she was on any medication – after she had already been in custody for nearly 3 hours.

She has since also seen a questionnaire asked of individuals in custody, and believes she wasn’t asked any questions other than if she was pregnant and whether she had had a recent abortion. The abortion question is not listed in the questionnaire.

Three months on, Gourley said she still remained perplexed about the incident, which sparked international media coverage.

"Given I was taken aside for suspicion of intending to work illegally (in Canada no less...), I don't see how the abortion question was relevant to my set of circumstances,” she wrote over email.

“While it's kind of inappropriate to ask at all, of anyone, I am an Australian citizen passing through LAX on my way to Montreal. Yes, immigration officers are allowed to ask questions about your travel plans, but how is 'Have you had a recent abortion?' relevant? Abortion is legal in my home state back in Australia, it's still legal in California and I'm fairly certain it's legal in Canada, so what's the issue?”
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Econoline
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Econoline »

People who are wrong are just as sure they're right as people who are right. The only difference is, they're wrong.
God @The Tweet of God

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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by BoSoxGal »

Now is not the time to let morality concerns get in the way.
Situational ethics. Which Gospel includes Jesus’s teaching on that?
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Sadly hilarious Econo! Good find!
No, I see no logical or moral inconsistency between my firmly held religious beliefs and the lack of concern I would feel if I learned Walker had remained a noncorporeal evil for centuries before rising again in the land of Mordor and building the dark fortress Barad-dûr not far from Mount Doom. And if he gathered massive armies of orcs and trolls then tricked the elven-smith Celebrimbor into forging the Rings of Power? Well that’s a small price to pay to defeat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is a pastor and has probably never paid to abort endangered baby eagles.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Bicycle Bill »

I saw that elsewhere as well.  I took the essay to be a bit of satire ... although the writer was able to crawl inside the mind of a typical MAGA Republican as if he had a road map.
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Please don't think that I'm a supporter of the GOP, but I thought you might get a kick out of an email I got yesterday, ostensibly from Ron Johnson ... the Republican candidate for the Senate seat in Wisconsin that is up for grabs next month.
530 years ago, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, which would begin the long path for many Europeans to create a new life for themselves.

Now, William, the Democrats want to CANCEL this federal holiday for everyone!  It seems like the Democrats want to cancel a lot these days: holidays, comedians, and even kids’ shows!

William, don’t let the Democrats cancel another thing.  Help us out by becoming a volunteer!  We’re in need of selfless patriots like you to help us beat the Democrats this November.  We need all hands on deck if we’re going to win this thing.  Will you help us?
I guess I got this because I'm a registered and conscientious voter ... I think I've missed maybe three elections since I turned 18 almost 50 years ago.  But all they're doing here is just spamming my inbox, because I haven't voted for a Repugnican't in something like ten or twelve years (not since Snotty Wanker — or 'Trump Lite', as I've heard him called — sold out the state to the Koch brothers during his tenure), and I don't see myself breaking that string in November.

However, I thought you might like to see some of the tactics they are using ... turning this into an 'us vs them, 'whites vs others', 'steady, straight-shooting folks vs wild-eyed, woke liberals running wild all over the place' conflict, where one is either all in with us or totally against us, with absolutely no middle ground whatsoever.  And the fact that they are doing this, and doing it so blatantly, makes me think that they are seeing the signs and know damned well that the pendulum is starting to swing back from the far-right Fascist/totalitarian tendencies that started with the Tea Baggers, and grew stronger throughout the first two decades of this millennium, and they're now trying every last thing they can think of to rally their beer-swilling, gun-toting, pick-up-truck driving, red-hat wearing, hate-filled base.
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Econoline
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Econoline »

From Robyn Pennacchia at Wonkette:
Ever since I first started writing on the internet, 12 million years ago, I have put out a yearly plea to my fellow Italian-Americans to stop with the Columbus Day shit, on account of the fact that it is super-embarrassing. Sometimes I just reuse the same one over and over again because I want to say the same thing every year: Columbus was a rapist and a genocidal maniac and having our big ethnic celebration on a day dedicated to him is an insult to all of us who are not rapists or genocidal maniacs. I'd say also those of us who are particularly good at navigating but I got lost driving to a mall I used to work at a couple weeks ago, so I'm not one to talk.

Anyway! Fingers crossed, but I have yet to see one op-ed from some Knights of Columbus cafone whining about how it's actually a beautiful celebration of our heritage, and usually those suckers start a week out. In fact, pretty much all I've seen are articles about how various towns and cities are celebrating Indigenous People's Day instead, which is just wonderful.

In fact, I'm reusing an article right now. So meta, right? I actually wrote the two paragraphs above on Columbus Day in 2020.

[ ... ]
As I said in 2020:

Each year, there's less and less pushback, each year more statues come tumbling down. Each year, there are fewer people out there that I have to convince we have way more to be proud of than freaking Columbus, and that we don't need his non-discovery of America to validate our being here. I mean, come on — we invented pizza. We should be able to dine out on that alone, no pun intended, for the next several hundred years. Everyone, I believe, is very glad we did the whole world the favor of inventing all of the best food in it.
(Read the whole blog post here.)



ETA — As a fellow Italian-American: :ok
Last edited by Econoline on Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Burning Petard
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by Burning Petard »

What are federal holidays? As I grew up in Kansas City Missouri area, Columbus Day was not observed in any particular way. I remember more comment about Arbor Day. As far as I know the action now on Columbus Day is about keeping the holiday, but using it to quasi-steal the culture of those here in N. America before Columbus (who never made it to the North American mainland anyway). I do think he bears some responsibility for the legal holding that if a white European male steals something in North or South America, it is ok. The international arbiter of law did assign different territories to the Spanish and Portuguese (see Doctrine of Discovery

snailgate

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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: You really, really, REALLY couldn't make this shit up

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Didn't even know it was a Federal Holiday. A certain local government organization to do with elections managed to avoid the stigma of Columbus Day by moving their day-off to Tuesday (smooooooth!)

Anyway, I'm all for Indigent People's Day. That's nice. They've had a hell of a time.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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