Month: March 2012

Confirmed: Jerry Falwell was a flaming hypocrite, when it came to Biblical separation

First of all, what you have to understand is that, as a Christian, I am a Fundamentalist Baptist, of the David Cloud stripe. (He is not my Pastor or guru or anything like that, I simply agree with about 99% of his writings.) For all intents and purposes, this here, can be considered my Statement of Faith.

I have for many years held the belief, that Jerry Falwell was a not a true-blue Fundamentalist Baptist, but rather a “go along to get along” soft evangelical that would sell a Fundamentalist up the river for the cause of  political and religious unity. This posting in the Christian Post about a book that has come out, confirms what I suspected for years:

WASHINGTON – Michael Sean Winters, a biographer of the late Jerry Falwell, said that the controversial preacher and Christian Right leader helped remove the stigma conservative Protestants had working alongside Roman Catholics and Mormons for common political goals.

Winters, author of God’s Right Hand: How Jerry Falwell Made God a Republican and Baptized the American Right, was a guest speaker at an event Monday that carried the same title as his book. The event was sponsored by the Center for American Progress and the People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF).

“He dispensed with this idea that you could not be yoked with nonbelievers or non-fundamentalists,” said Winters to The Christian Post.

“[Falwell] was very proud of the fact that even in the early years of the Moral Majority it was 30 percent conservative Roman Catholic.

[……]

At the discussion-based presentation, Winters talked to those gathered about how one of the amiable qualities of Falwell was his “capacity for friendship.”

“He has this incredible capacity for friendship, which extended to people who were not like-minded,” said Winters.

Winters noted as examples that Falwell’s friendships included people like Ted Kennedy, a liberal political figure, and Larry Flynt, a pornographer who fought Falwell in the courts over issues of defamation and libel.

“Every time he was in Los Angeles, Jerry Falwell would always visit Larry Flynt,” said Winters.

“When Falwell died, Flynt wrote this very moving tribute in the L.A. Times how ‘we agreed on nothing but he was my friend.'”

This above proves what I pretty much knew about Jerry Falwell. To be fair; I should point out that this was not always the case with Falwell. At one time, Falwell did preach the hardcore Fundamentalist stance on Biblical separation at one time. However, as Falwell became involved with politics, he toned down his message of separation. This was because Falwell knew that his hardcore stance on Biblical separation would not be popular with the Republican Party establishment. I also feel the need to point out that Jerry Falwell was a dishonest snake; I say this because of his baldfaced lies that he told to then-Pastor Jim Bakker, when he had his troubles with his Ministry. Falwell simply wanted the television network and nothing else. When Falwell saw that he could not get said network, he pushed that ministry into bankruptcy and washed his hands of it.

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IBD: Job Recession 49 months, Worst Since World War 2

Continuing with my line of thought that I started yesterday; it seems that things are just plain bad.

Just how bad is it?

This bad:

The U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February vs. expectations for 206,000, continuing a recent trend of decent hiring activity. The unemployment rate held at 8.3%.

But America remains mired in the longest jobs recession since the Great Depression. It’s been 49 months since the U.S. hit peak employment in January 2008. And with nonfarm payrolls still 5.33 million below their old high, the jobs slump will continue for several more years.

The previous jobs recession record — 47 months — came during and after the comparatively mild 2001 recession, which saw unemployment climb to only 6.3%. The average job recovery time since 1980 is 29 months, not including the current slump.

The labor market won’t truly return to health until some 10 million positions are created to rehire all those who lost their jobs and to absorb new workers.

The longest jobs recession in decades coincides, not coincidentally, with the longest stretch of anemic economic performance on record.

U.S. gross domestic profit hasn’t risen 4% or more in any quarter since the first quarter of 2006. That’s by far the longest such stretch on record going back to 1950. The only other sizable sub-par stretch was a three-year span from late 2000 to mid-2003 during the prior recession and sluggish recovery.

I would advise you to go read the rest of that report, as it is quite a depressing read.  Ace over at Ace of Spades HQ likes to call it DOOM.  I simply look at it as grim reality.  This reality was created by the Democrats, who sought to game the system during a time of prosperity.  This should be a textbook example of why wealth redistribution simply does not work.  Instead, the Democrats will use this as an excuse to try to push their green energy polices and why we all should have healthcare, at the taxpayer’s expense.  All the while painting Republicans as racist, money grubbing, thugs who wish to keep the poor, black and disabled down.

Arguing it, in my opinion, is an exercise in futility anymore, because most Republicans are too stupid to know how to make the argument properly.  Instead, Republicans come off sound cold, aloof, uncaring, and cold-hearted —- or simply, like Mitt Romney.

This all affects me in many ways.  I would get into all of that, but because I do not want to be accused of being a whiner, I will not bother.  Therefore, I will simply say this, this all was happening in Michigan, long before it began happening in the entire Country.  Thanks to Jennifer Granholm’s inability to govern a state, we suffered long before the rest of the Country did. This is why I like to say, welcome to my world.  Because this mess we are in now, has been my world, since about 2000.  Admittedly, it got bad around here in about 2003 and after that, it was downhill around here.  I have out of work since 2005; and part of that is my fault and part of it is not.  My physical health is not in the best of shape either, my back and knees are hosed from years of trying to be superman, when I was working.  It all catches up, as I have learned; there is not day that goes by when my back and knees are not in pain.  The pain is just a part of life, of getting old, I suppose.  I do not have any sort of healthcare insurance, so I live with the pain.

However, I simply refuse to see myself as a charity case.  I refuse to take a handout from the Government.  Social Security is out for me; hell, I have a friend in Ohio that I have known since childhood — we used to live across the street from one another in Southwest Detroit — and he has a legitimate heart condition and he has a lawyer fighting to get his social security.  You want to talk about someone unfairly losing his or her career.  My friend Joe, who I have known for an eternity, was a well-paid and very well skilled automotive mechanic.  Let me state emphatically that the auto industry is much worse off without his skills.  Anyhow, Joe was working in this area not far from where I live, at an automotive dealership.  Joe ended up having to move to Ohio to be closer to his family.  In the process of moving, he just happened to have a check up and that is when he discovered he had a heart condition.  This might help you to understand why it is that I simply do not like dwelling on my own misfortune at all.  This is simply because there are those out there, who have it much worse than I do.

The point I am making is this; if my friend Joe is having to lawyer to even get social security disability and he has a legitimate condition, what makes you think I could even remotely get it?  I just cannot see myself trotting in and saying, “Hi, I have ADHD and I think I am entitled to social security.”  I tried that once, after being pestered by my Mom about it and I tried that and it failed.  I will not try that again.  I felt like a fool.  My point is, I do want to work, doing something that I can do, that will not end up screwing my knees and back up even worse than they already are now.

I have made three major mistakes in my life and I will always regret them.  The first was thinking that I could go to Commercial Truck Driving School, on the State of Michigan’s dime no less and then think that I could just waltz into a local driving job.  I know now that the commercial vehicle insurance industry just does not allow that to happen.  The second mistake was getting a job that was related to the retail industry; retail stores suck and those who work in them are usually complete and useless assholes.  Believe me when I tell you this; I know from experience.  With the exception of my first job ever, every job I have ever tried work in, which was related to retail was a total disaster.  I just do not have the personality for retail sales at all.  The main reason for this is that, frankly, people can be just plain nasty.  I could tell you horror stories of working in the retail business.

My third mistake was allowing my family to talk me into getting a job where they worked, that was major mistake.  I believe the biggest reason I am where I am today is the result that mistake.  I love my family, all of them; but I have tried working with them more than once and it was a disaster.  Even when my job was not working around them, it ended up with me getting into with them, over something.  Lesson learned there, never again.

Therefore, here I sit, writing, hoping that this will all turn around for the Country and me.  Something tells me, I am going to be waiting for a very long time.

The real unemployment rate? Try 14.9%

I have one thing to say about all this below; welcome to my world.

1. If the size of the U.S. labor force as a share of the total population was the same as it was when Barack Obama took office—65.7% then vs. 63.9% today—the U-3 unemployment rate would be 10.8%.

2. But what if you take into the account the aging of the Baby Boomers, which means the labor force participation (LFP) rate should be trending lower. Indeed, it has been doing just that since 2000. Before the Great Recession, the Congressional Budget Office predicted what the LFP would be in 2012, assuming such demographic changes. Using that number, the real unemployment rate would be 10.4%.

3. Of course, the LFP rate usually falls during recessions. Yet even if you discount for that and the aging issue, the real unemployment rate would be 9.5%.

4. Then there’s the broader, U-6 measure of unemployment which includes the discouraged plus part-timers who wish they had full time work. That unemployment rate, perhaps the truest measure of the labor market’s health, is still a sky-high 14.9%.

5. Recall that back in 2009, White House economists Jared Bernstein and Christina Romer used their old-fashioned Keynesian model to predict how the $800 billion stimulus would affect employment. According to their model—as displayed in the above chart, updated—unemployment should be around 6% today.

6. As Ed Carson of Investor’s Business Daily points out, it’s been a whopping 49 months since the U.S. hit peak employment in January 2008. The average job recovery time since 1980 is 29 months, not including the current slump.

7. And how long might it take to get back to the 4.4% unemployment rate that existed under President George. W. Bush? Well, let’s say the goal was to get back to that rate in 5 years. And let’s assume the LFP rate returns to the CBO trend. According to a jobs calculator created by the Atlanta Fed, the U.S. economy would have to generate about 225,000 jobs a month, every month, for the next 60 months to hit that target. But few economist think we’ll see sustained job growth like that, especially since it assumes the economy would avoid recession during that span.

Indeed, JPMorgan just cut its GDP forecast for this quarter to 1.5% from 2.0% and says there is “some downside risk” to its second-quarter forecast of 2.5%.

via The real unemployment rate? It sure isn’t 8.3% « The Enterprise Blog.

What gets me is that I keep getting these people coming here and telling me to get a job.  My answer to them: Find me one.  Truth is there are not any jobs around here.  Especially if you have been out of work for a long while, as I have; so, basically, I am screwed.  I will most likely be forced onto the Government dole, because of the Democrats screwing of our system into the ground.  I have paid into it; so, I guess I am entitled to it.  What sucks is, I really want to work; at least doing some sort of delivery product; at least in a straight truck; but because I have been out of work so long, most employers will not hire someone out as long as I have been.

It does truly suck; but it is my reality of my life.  You would think that I would be able to find work for a political publication; but anymore, if you do not have some sort of an inside connection somewhere, you will not be hired.  Again, more of that suck business; but it is the reality of life.  One can either suck it up or whine about it.  I choose not to whine, but rather keep writing.  I figure whining about it will not change anything anyhow, so why bother?

Anyhow, that is the facts life.  One can either deal with it and move on or complain.

 

Israel will not strike Iran in coming weeks, will give diplomacy a chance.

Whew…:

“I am not standing with a stopwatch in hand. It is not a matter days or weeks, but also not a matter of years. Everybody understands this,” Mr Netanyahu told an Israeli news programme.

Mr Netanyahu has hinted Israel could resort to force should Tehran – which denies suspicions it is covertly trying to develop atomic bombs – continue to defy major powers’ diplomatic pressure to curb its nuclear programme.

“We would be happy if this thing is resolved peacefully, if Iran decides to stop its nuclear programme,” he said. “To stop it, to dismantle its facility in Qom, and to stop enriching uranium. I will be most happy, I think all Israel’s citizens will also be happy.”

via Israel won’t strike Iran in coming weeks, Binyamin Netanyahu says – Telegraph.

I think everyone who supports Israel and happens to read this, ought to say a small prayer; that this works. For America’s and Israel’s sake.