In a completely unprecedented move, Senator Joe Liberman reversed his earlier support for a proposal that would have allowed people suffering from HRFS (Healthcare Reform Fatigue Syndrome) to receive treatment for their condition under the Senate version of the Healthcare Reform legislation.  Lately HRFS has become an epidemic. 

“I realize it was my idea to include coverage for HRFS in the Senate bill,” Senator Lieberman told a reporter for The Nightly Dog, “but that was before I thought this darn thing would actually pass.” 

Opponents of reform argue that HRFS isn’t real or that even if it IS real, it’s not caused by humans.  Senator Lieberman seems unperturbed by either position. 

“HRFS is like global warming,” said Liberman.  “It’s probably real, but I don’t care, except to the extent that it impacts me.”  (An aide, who’d earlier tried to block The Nightly Dog from approaching Lieberman, attributed the Senator’s rare burst of honesty to the extra Manischewitz he drinks to get him through Christmas.)

“What about Carrie Prejean Fatigue Syndrome?” the reporter asked.  “Is that still covered under the Senate bill?”

“Of course it is,” said the surprised Senator.  “Even I’m not enough of an asshole to deny coverage for that.”

In October a republican senator accused President Obama of compiling an enemies list.  

“That’s ridiculous,” said Tami, proprietor of a greeting card shop in Plano, Texas.  “With idiots like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the other side, President Obama doesn’t need to worry about his enemies.”

“That’s right,” said Fay Lynn, an employee.  ”President Obama needs to be concerned about his so-called friends.” 

Tami and Fay Lynn seem to be onto something.  On Day Two of Obama’s presidency Politico created what would become Obama’s Frenemies List.  Throughout 2009 journalists would expand this list to include David Brooks, Hugo Chavez, the European Union, the Chamber of Commerce, Angela Merkel, a consortium of Asians and a bunch of California democrats.

“I wish Obama would put together an enemies list,” said Tami as she rearranged a collection featuring shirtless male Santas in the “naughty or nice” section.  “Like that nasty Richard Nixon.  Could you have seen Nixon with a ‘frenemies list?’” 

“Then again, boss,” Fay Lynn replied as she poured more egg nog, “maybe Richard Nixon isn’t President Obama’s role model.”

James Bain was released from prison after 35 years when it was discovered that he had not in fact kidnapped and raped 9 year-old boy. 

“I’m not angry,” James Bain, 54, told reporters after a brief hearing in Bartow, Florida.

“Mr. Bain might not be angry but I’m mad as hell,” said Larry, who was queued up at a vendor near Madison Square Garden.  “America needs a new pasttime.” 

“I know what you mean,” said the vendor.  ”Punishing black men for crimes they didn’t commit just doesn’t seem to draw mobs crowds like it used to.” 

Of the 245 people in the United States whom DNA testing has exonerated, none has spent more time behind bars than Bain, according to the Innocence Project, a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through such testing.

“If doin’ time for something you didn’t do was an Olympic sport,” said Larry as he squirted mustard on his pretzel,  “Bain would take home the gold, silver, bronze AND honorable mention!” 

Mr. Bain’s positive attitude also wasn’t clouded by the fact that Nancy Grace has yet to report on his tragic situation. 

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll get around to it,” said Larry as he entered 1 Penn Plaza to go to his job as a securities lawyer.  “Eventually Tiger Woods will run out of girlfriends and Ms. Grace will have to report on something else.” 

(AP Photo / Steve Nesius)

In other news, Erik Prince, of Blackwater fame, announced that he will soon reveal himself to be what many have suspected all along, that he is the Anti-Christ. 

“I knew it had to be either him or that a**hole in Korea, the one with the jumpsuit,” said a random guy on 28th Street in Manhattan Thursday.  “I’m glad it turned out this way, though ’cause the Korean guy was really startin’ to annoy me.” 

“Right,” said a homeless woman nearby who looked an awful lot like Perez Hilton.  “What better way for the Son of Satan to disguise himself than as a crusader for Christ?  It’s pure genius!” 

Having a penchant for blonds I would love to see Prince’s face on all the money.  But I’m still placing my bet on Sarah Palin.

(Photograph by Nigel Parry for Vanity Fair)

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft believes that America was founded as a Christian nation.  In May 1999, as a sitting US Senator, he spoke at Bob Jones University’s commencement ceremony.  Here is an excerpt from his speech:

“I want to thank each of you for investing yourselves in the mission of Christ, of redemption and forgiveness, and for preparing yourselves in the way that you have.

A slogan of the American Revolution, which was so distressing to the emissaries of the king that it was found in correspondence sent back to England, was the line ‘We have no king but Jesus.’ Tax collectors came, asking for that which belonged to the king, and colonists frequently said, ‘We have no king but Jesus.’

 

It found its way into the fundamental documents of this great country. You could quote the Declaration with me. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.’

Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we have understood that our source is eternal, America has been different: We have no king but Jesus.”

It was the summer after Monica Lewinsky, the First Blow-Job and President Clinton’s impeachment.  Bob Jones University awarded Ashcroft and two other politicans honorary degrees for their role in impeaching the President.  

Assume for the sake of argument that Ashcroft is correct in his insinuation that American was founded as a Christian nation.  What does our King have to say to us?

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. …

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. …

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. …

Meek.  Merciful.  Peacemakers.  These are not words anyone would use to describe John Ashcroft, George Bush or anyone who had a part in the previous administration.  Many examples exist where these men – men who held themselves out as born-again Bible-believing Christians – violated Jesus’s commandments.  Whether by torture, kidnapping, illegally imprisoning innocent men or ripping apart families with senseless deportations, these men of God repeatedly gave Jesus the finger.

One example is the case of Jose Padilla.  José Padilla, a Brooklyn-born U.S. citizen, was arrested by civilian authorities on May 8, 2002, at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.  He was originally held as a material witness in New York in connection with the government’s ongoing investigation into threats of terrorism.  

Then on June 10, 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft interrupted a visit to Moscow to announce a sensational arrest: an American citizen named Jose Padilla had been detained at O’Hare Airport and charged with taking part in an Al Qaeda plot to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” within the United States.

The truth is, Ashcroft didn’t know what he was talking about.  Even the Bush administration backpedaled hours later, admitting there was no overt plot that was known.  The truth is often a casualty of war.

Padilla’s case has been discussed in the news although most Americans probably haven’t paid much attention to it.

Briefly, Padilla was kept in solitary confinement for years and was also subjected to sleep deprivation and sensory deprivation.  Seven years later, Padilla was found guilty, not of any of the original crimes, but was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months for what basically was a thought crime. 

“There is no evidence that these defendants personally killed, maimed or kidnapped” anyone, observed Judge Cooke.

Where is the mercy, meekness or peace in this case?  Does anyone care?  Ashcroft and Bush are long gone but our so-called Christian nation, complacent about what has happened, has become complicit in the un-Christ-like crimes our former leaders committed.  

The shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, is also the most applicable:

“Jesus Wept.”

How ironic that so many fundamentalists claim that it is Obama that is the Antichrist.

We learn more from dialogues between members of a group than the message that group puts out to the world. 

What In The World (The Devil Is Up To) is a newsletter put out by Bob Jones University, arguably the world’s leading fundamentalist Christian institution of higher learning.   The newsletter contains snippets telling readers about all the “bad” things taking place in America and elsewhere. 

Having spent all of my formative years (14 to be exact) at this campus, I can share that BJU and its people believe that America and the world are worsening by the day and this will continue until Jesus returns to rapture the saints to heaven.  This newsletter seeks to confirm this belief by disclosing evidence of all the things – abortion, homosexuality, encroachment of non-fundamentalist Christian religions into American life, secularism, humanism, atheism, etc. – that are on the rise.

Fundamentalists are never accountable for what they believe.  Their answer is that they are simply carrying out God’s commandments.  They don’t even add “as we understand them” after “God’s commandments” because there is no human understanding involved, there is God and there is Satan and you are on one side or the other. 

To the rational mind, nothing could seem more arrogant than a belief that one holds the exclusive on God but their warped vision obscures all human reason.  They are the enlightened ones; we are blind. 

Every so often, though, their arrogance shines like a beacon.  Like this tidbit from their newsletter.  The last paragraph on the last page is titled, “Sometimes Non-Christians Demonstrate More Wisdom Than Christians.”  Sometimes.  Thank you, fundamentalists for conceding that SOMETIMES you, people who believe in a talking snake, are not the wisest people on the planet. 

 http://www.bju.edu/resources/what-in-the-world/4611.pdf

…well maybe not SO soon…but someday.

I’m working on a novel, so not updating the blog, but check back periodically as I’ll update as things progress. 

You can reach me at richmerritt@richmerritt.com

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Like my divas Cher and Barbara BARBRA! (sorry!) (if you have to ask “Barbra who?” then please go to another blog; if you have to ask “Cher who?” please go back to Mars) I am going back into blogging retirement.  I’m sure I’ll come out of it before my next book comes out but for now I’m going to spend my time working on the next book(s), catching up with friends, playing with the dog, being a good husband, etc.  All that life stuff.  Oh yeah and working at the day job. 

Here’s a pic of my puppy Xander who is growing fast!

Here are some more pics I took a couple of weeks ago:

I’ve been working at a law firm near Battery Park in Manhattan in this building here.  (The job ends tomorrow sadly).  I took this on an unseasonably warm New York early fall day while lying on a park bench.  Not bad for a lazy man’s picture, huh?

The only bad part about my mid-day nap was staring at the bull’s ass.  As in the Wall Street bull’s ass. 

For some reason the touristas love this.  In fact, they’re crowding around so much I can’t show you what they’re looking at.  GIGANTIC BALLS!  As in Rocky Mountain Oysters.  They’re HUGE!  And so many people have fondled the poor bull’s balls (WTF is that about?) that they’ve rubbed the paint off. 

What we need right now is a Wall Street bear. 

Here’s a front view of the bull. 

Everyone’s got to be the center of attention!

Believe it or not I actually do work, I don’t just walk around Manhattan all day with my camera, although that’s fun to do too.  After my break I went back to my office, not a bad office for a lowly temp.

Here’s the view from the southeast window.  No that’s not the bridge to nowhere, its the Verrazano Narrows bridge connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn.  In just two weeks the trees have already changed. 


And for the best… the view from my southwest window. In the distance is the Statue of Liberty.  Yes, Ms. Liberty, when America gets it wrong, we REALLY get it wrong (aka BUSH) but when we get it right, the whole world marvels. 

GO OBAMA!

Uncommon valor was a common virtue. 

That was Admiral Chester Nimitz’ description of the Marines who fought on Iwo Jima in World War II. 

Other than the women and men fighting in Bush’s wars, neither valor nor virtue seem very common today, at least not in the news.  Our president is inept and has already checked out of the job.  CEO’s, board members and hedge fund managers are destroying the corporations they are entrusted to lead, governmental regulators are corrupt, consumers are in debt and our popular culture is obsessed with the antics of a few derelict superstars.  Everyone wants to be famous and hey, I’d be a hypocrite if I denied that I wouldn’t like a little more recognition for my work. 

Where are our heroes?

To find heroes, we have to look to the people around us.  I know lawyers who’ve given up lucrative careers to fight for the rights of the less fortunate and others who donate significant amounts of their resources to good causes.  Friends work for charities, people in my neighborhood help disadvantaged children and friends have gone overseas to build houses and set up hospitals.  How gratifying would it be, though, if self-sacrificing individuals received some national attention?  Young people especially should have role models, examples for their aspirations.  Well, recently one man has received a bit of attention for sticking to principle even though he knew it would cost him his career, his livelihood and his reputation. 

David Iglesias 

David Iglesias was one of nine US attorneys fired on December 7, 2006 by the Bush Justice Department.  Three weeks ago the Department of Justice Inspector General released a 392-page report.  The report’s conclusions, pages 356-358, are damning: 

The process used to remove the nine U. S. Attorneys in 2006 was fundamentally flawed.  While Presidential appointees can be removed for any reason or for no reason, as long as it is not an illegal or improper reason, Department officials publicly justified the removals as the result of an evaluation that sought to replace underperforming U. S. Attorneys.  In fact, we determined that the process implemented largely by Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, was unsystematic and arbitrary, with little oversight.

Although Iglesias and I have a common past – born to Baptist parents, attended Bible colleges, service as military officers and attorneys – my life experience caused me to change my political beliefs whereas he remained a republican and today still calls himself a true republican.  Until his courageous actions in 2006, I would not have identified him as a hero.  But his actions have clearly marked him as a man who put principle, service to country and integrity above his own interests.  If America had more public servants like David Iglesias, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in right now.

Iglesias’ heroic actions 

Iglesias has been on the talk show and interview circuit since his firing and the subsequent release of his book, In Justice: Inside the Scandal That Rocked the Bush Administration, but his case still has not received the level of attention it deserves.  That’s probably because it’s a little complicated for most people to grasp.  It requires an understanding of Constitutional separation of powers, role of political appointees, the nature of a federal prosecutorial role and the issue of voter fraud vs. voter suppression. 

Simply stated, the Bush administration improperly pressured Iglesias to prosecute cases of voter fraud in New Mexico that he’d already found to be non-existent.  When he refused to cave in to the Department of Justice’s harassment, they fired him. 

Now, voter fraud, where it exists, is a serious crime.  The problem is that besides voter fraud, federal prosecutors have over 4000 serious crimes on the books to enforce, including voter suppression.   Their dilemma is determining priorities of those 4000 + crimes.  Attorneys are bound by rules of professionalism and ethics to use their best judgment to pursue the cases that are in the public’s best interest.  That’s what Iglesias did; after a bipartisan investigation, he concluded that insufficient evidence existed to proceed. 

Why was the Bush White house so concerned with voter fraud in New Mexico? 

New Mexico is always a swing state in presidential elections.  Even though it has only five electoral votes, considering the close outcomes of recent elections, every electoral vote is crucial.  Conventional wisdom is that clamping down on so-called voter fraud is a euphemism for keeping democrats from voting. 

An example:  In California a republican state representative had armed guards posted at polling stations.  The unstated purpose was to scare away Mexican-American voters who, while legal citizens, might be too intimidated to demand their right to vote if pressed.  White middle-class Americans glibly claim that anyone here legally has nothing to worry about, but people with names like Lopez, Rodriguez and Gonzales know better.  Any dispute with someone holding a loaded gun is a loss. 

Iglesias understood this and, although it suited his political party, he refused to subvert his professionalism to bow to their partisan demands.   Here is his description of what happened in a recent interview:

How would you characterize the act of enlisting a U.S. attorney in activities that will benefit a political party at the polls?

It’s reprehensible. It’s unethical. It’s unlawful. It very well may be criminal … I know it’s a marked departure from prior administrations, both Republican and Democrat, who understood that U.S. attorneys, as chief federal law enforcement officials, have to stay out of politics. And that’s consistent with what Former Attorney General John Ashcroft told me in the summer of 2001. When he said, “Politics cannot enter into your decision making as a US attorney.”

A republican who puts country first!  He definitely is a hero.  I haven’t read his book yet, but I hope to soon.  Buy it and support this courageous man. 

Today we launch the Hypocrites Hall of Infamy™. The first inductee into this auspicious realm of immortality is: William J. Bennett.

WHO IS WILLIAM “BILL” J. BENNETT?

Bill Bennett is currently the host of his own morning radio talk show.  His website features a photograph of Gary Bauer, leader of a Washington DC lobbying organization known as “American Values.”  Bauer’s group is most famous for its persecution of lesbians and gay men and opposing women’s right to bodily autonomy.  Bennett’s website also features a photograph of Bill Kristol, a neo-conservative responsible for the fiasco in Iraq.  Bennett might not pal around with terrorists, depending on one’s definition of the word, but with friends like Bauer, Kristol and a host of others, he’s associated himself with purveyors of hatred, stupidity, arrogance and discrimination. 

For some mystifying reason, Bennett also appears on CNN.  A lot.  His interview this past Wednesday prompted his induction into the Hypocrites Hall of Infamy™.  More details on that at the bottom.

HOW HAS BENNETT ENTERED THE POLITICAL ARENA?

In Republican administrations, Bennett has been chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Secretary of Education and ”drug czar.  Considering the state of America’s educational system and the success of the “war on drugs,” Bennett’s record of accomplishments speaks for itself.  Given his views on cultural issues you can imagine that his tenure as chair of the NEH was not warmly received by the arts community. 

Bennett has authored several books.  When I was in the Marines, Bennett’s Book of Virtueswas on the Commandant’s reading list, one I never got around to reading.  Sun Tzu’sThe Art of Warand Clausewitz’ On War seemed more germane to my mission.  (If you feel the need to buy Bennett’s book please click the link above as I’ll receive a small referral fee from Amazon at no additional cost to you!)

In his book, Bennett has collected previous writings in an attempt to impart to people his ”catalog of virtues–self-discipline, compassion, work, responsibility, friendship, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty, faith” that he believes are foundational to strong moral character. 

WHAT MAKES BENNETT WORTHY OF NOMINATION INTO THE HYPOCRITES HALL OF INFAMY™?

As a devout Catholic, Bennett should be aware of the words of Jesus Christ:

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  (Matthew 7:5)

Jesus casting money-changers out of the temple

 
Jesus spent far more of his life condemning the sin of hypocrisy than he did any other vice, a fact that seems lost on most of the Christianist sectarians, including Bennett. 

What makes Bennett such a hypocrite is his lifelong record of condemning America’s so-called decline in moral values.  He’s a vocal opponent of marriage equality for lesbians and gay men.  To paraphrase Jesus, he should get his head out of his ass and take stock of his own decline in moral values first.  If he did, he’d be so busy taking personal inventory he wouldn’t have time to disseminate his self-righteousness across the airwaves. 



THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

Because Bennett is Catholic, a good barometer of his hypocrisy is Pope Gregory I’s “Seven Deadly Sins“:

1. Lust - all men are guilty of this sin.  Bill Bennett is a man.  Bill Bennett is guilty of lust.

2. Gluttony - self-evident (see first photograph above).  When it comes to food, Bill Bennett is a man who obviously never said no to a meal.  

• FOOD:  This sin is my favorite when it comes to hypocrisy.  Growing up in South Carolina, I was taught that sin is sin and that God views all sins as equally bad.   But when it comes to Baptists in the South, gluttons seem to get a pass.  Almost every sermon against homosexuality or promiscuity or against any of the six other deadly sins was given by a man obviously exceedingly guilty of this sin. 

You can bet Bennett glosses over this verse when he gets to Proverbs 23:2:

“And put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite.”

CIGARETTE SMOKING:  Maybe it’s a stretch, but addictions seem like a form of gluttony.  Even if smoking couldn’t be counted as gluttony, Bennett is still a hypocrite on this issue.  Even though it’s legal, nicotine is still a drug.  As drug czar, Bennett made a big deal about pot, calling marijuana immoral and opposing any effort to legalize it WHEN HE HAD A 2-PACK-A-DAY SMOKING HABIT.  HYPOCRITE!

3. Greed -this sin merits some discussion.  Bennett is a high-roller who’s lost millions of dollars in Las Vegas.  He justifies this behavior by claiming that he doesn’t have a problem and that his bills are paid.  In addiction treatment, many in recovery claim that they were functioning alcoholics or addicts but their lives still became unmanageable.  They lived in denial, just like Bennett does today. Although he said he no longer gambled, later he qualified this statement, saying he refrained from excessive gambling, a fine distinction. 

Some might assert that gambling and greed are not the same thing.  Bullshit.  The only reason someone gambles is to make a fast buck, a definite form of greed.

• HYPOCRISY ALERT:  As co-founder and former head of Empower America, Bennett opposed the extension of casino gambling.  Apart from gambling, Bennett manifests his greed by turning haughtiness, condescension and judgmentalism into a self-enrichment scheme

4. Sloth - In all fairness, I’ll cut Bennett some slack on this one.  While I’m tempted to say that someone this fat has to sit on his lard ass all day, I can’t. Knowing how hard it is to write, publish and promote a book, this guy is not slothful.  Also he does a show at 6:00 every morning, so he’s disciplined enough to get up early.  I’m not saying that a lack of slothfulness is a virtue – many tyrants and evildoers have been industrious – but I can’t in good conscience assert that Bill Bennett sins this way.  So far he’s 3 for 4. 

5. Wrath – Only an angry man would make the following statement:

I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could — if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. 

Bennett, apparently realizing the reprehensiveness of what he’d just postulated on air, immediately equivocates: 

That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do.

Stupidly, he returns to the reprehensible notion he just put forward:

But your crime rate would go down.

Even if these statements aren’t evidence of the deadly sin of wrath, they are repugnant and should be included somewhere, so this spot will be sufficient. 

6. Envy – This sin is difficult to prove by direct evidence, at least in Bennett’s case.  But Bennett is a man of ambitions.  You can bet (assuming that, like Bennett, you’re a gambler) your sweet ass that Bennett is enraged that Barack Obama is about to become President of the United States and he never will.  You know he is.  But because I can’t get into the mind of Bennett (nor would I want to) I’ll give him a pass on envy…for now.  The tally so far?  Bennett is 4-1-1 on the deadly sins.

7. Pride – The best for last, and by far the easiest to prove.  In his biography Bennett describes himself as:

• “One of America’s most important, influential and respected voices on cultural, political, and education issues.” 
• “One of the nation’s most prominent political figures.” 
• “Perceived — even by his adversaries — as a man of strong, reasoned convictions who spoke candidly, eloquently, and honestly about some of the most important issues of our time.” 
• “Thanks to his writings and speeches, William Bennett has extraordinary influence on America’s political and social landscape.”

‘Nuff said. 

Final score:  Bill Bennett is guilty of five of the seven deadly sins (and probably a sixth). 

(Notice what is not one of the seven deadly sins.  Got the answer?  That’s right!  Homosexuality!)

There’s one more sin that’s not listed here, but it’s something we all learned as soon as we were old enough to deny sticking our hands in the cookie jar. 

THOU SHALT NOT LIE! 

I referenced Bennett’s CNN interview above, the interview that prompted me to initiate the Hypocrites Hall of Infamy™.  Here’s an exceprt:

KIRAN CHETRY:  Do you believe that Sarah Palin is ready to be president?

BENNETT:  Yes. 

Bennett can’t possibly believe that Palin is ready to sit in the oval office. If she submitted her paltry resume to him he wouldn’t select her to be an intern at his radio show, despite her degree in sports journalism (from the University of Idaho after five colleges).  Sarah Palin’s lack of readiness to be president is a matter of fact, not opinion.  Her nomination is a fraud and prank perpetrated against the American people. 

As Andrew Sullivan puts it: 

Palin is a proudly ignorant, cowardly, secretive, unethical, know-nothing populist.

She won’t give a press conference or even allow her supporters to talk to the press at her rallies, she won’t release records and she’s been found guilty of an ethics violation in Alaska.  

In the same interview, Bennett also said, “I am much happier with the prospect of Sarah Palin as president than I am Barack Obama as president.”  If that’s true, Bill Bennett is guilty of another sin:  treason.