Book Review: The Path of Light by Christian O'Brien

The Golden Age Project has reprinted Christian O'Brien's book, The Path Of Light, translations of two neglected manuscripts, the Askew Codex and the Bruce Codex. Both codices are written in the Upper Egypt Coptic dialect and have been in the possession of the British Museum since 1795 and 1842, respectively. They reveal a Jesus who conducts his disciples through initiation mysteries and rituals at the Mount of Olives after the crucifixion.

The Path of Light is a core source for one of humanity's many age-old stories that circulates underground and bubbles up to the surface from time to time. It offers invaluable insights to tune one's understanding of secret teachings, hidden meanings and symbolism - terms often bandied about in theological discussions, particularly those that focus on secret society rituals. One's esoteric vocabulary is sharpened and ceremonial traditions take form in these writings that detail the disciples' initiation process.

Jesus' disciples, sometimes called apostles, are generally identified as a group rather than individually in the texts. In prayer and commentary, Jesus referred to them as “my disciples”. The infrequency of individual name usage seemed more pronounced perhaps because Mary Magdalene was Jesus' star pupil in the recordings. Mary's leaping, prostrating and weeping sometimes distracts from the discourse, leading this reader to wonder why the scribes portrayed Mary as the teacher's pet. The scribes - Matthew, Philip and Thomas - were identified and appointed by Jesus as the recorders of the writings in the codices. The rest of the disciples, mentioned occasionally, are:

Martha, Salome, Andrew, Bartholomew, James, John, Peter, and Simon the Caananite. Together with Mary Magdalene, Matthew, Philip and Thomas, they are twelve (though not specifically listed as the twelve).

O'Brien's arrangement of the texts begins and ends with the Askew Codex, with the first two sections of the Bruce Codex placed in between to create continuity in the sequence. The Askew Codex was in relatively good order when discovered however it lacked a record of the advanced question and answer opportunities promised by Jesus in the text. O'Brien located these missing inquiries in the Bruce Codex, which text was initially found in a disheveled state and rebound by Carl Schmidt in 1893. Schmidt was the first to edit and translate both codices, followed by Violet MacDermot in 1978, and finally O'Brien, who credits Schmidt's and MacDermot's expertise vis-a-vis “the more subtle intricacies of the Coptic language”. O'Brien succeeds in weaving the discourses into a seamless depiction of the disciples' initiation.

"After Jesus had recovered from his Crucifixion, he spent eleven sessions in discoursing with his disciples.” This simple statement opens Chapter One and will surely unnerve adherents to Christianity who have never heard otherwise. The impact and import of Jesus' surviving his ordeal is not easily retrofitted into biblical constructs, yet that is precisely what must be done when historical evidence reveals even the remotest possibility. Civilizations prefer to memorialize events by official decree; therefore valuable stockpiles of information have been (and are) buried in order to avoid institutional indigestion, a condition caused by anything that hints at the possibility of questioning authorities. Historically, the events and circumstances of Jesus' life were separated into orthodox and esoteric teachings so as to require minimal rearrangement of the 'facts'. So-called “secret teachings” have been divulged to the privileged over the past two millennium, however with the advent of the internet many of these secrets are spilling out – albeit out of context in many cases. The Path of Light offers context to a ritual of initiation whose roots are ancient and whose branches are numerous.

Many of the names and terms used by teachers and students of ancient mysteries take form and breathe by O'Brien's hand. The divine hierarchy and the spiritual regions are described by Jesus for his disciples. He begins by telling them:

“From this moment, I shall not conceal anything from you concerning the Heavenly Regions and the Places of Forgetfulness (Oblivion). For, by the Grace of the Royal, Ineffable One, I have been given authority to speak to you of the earliest Mystery of Mysteries -– from the very Beginning until the establishment of the Pleroma, from the Lowest to the Highest, and from the Highest to the Lowest.”

From here the journey proceeds, covering the 24 spiritual regions and their planes, subdivisions, and specific places of interest. Tracked are the activities of the Archons, Aeons, Archangels, Watchers, and notable characters such as the Pistas Sophia. The harassments and repentances of the Sophia, and her relationship to Jesus, cover three chapters and are well worth examining given Sophia's emergence in pop culture.

Man's quest to unlock the mysteries of universal consciousness and to harmonize one's own mind, body and spirit responses, are facilitated in Jesus' teachings. It became clear during the course of reading this book that initiation rituals are meant to be an experience of the body and spirit as much as they are purposed for the transmission of knowledge.

Christian O'Brien's The Path Of Light shows us how it was done – by a Master.

I Miss You Palestine

Emily Henochowicz is a 22-year-old artist and the activist who lost her eye to a tear gas canister while protesting the flotilla massacre.

"I'm no musician, but the soul of the moment carried my voice."

Location, Location, Location

Terrorism Trouble Spots:

Afghanistan

Africa
Niger
Uganda

Columbia

Cuba

Georgia

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Lebanon

Libya (Removed)

North Korea

Palestine

Philippines

Somalia

Sudan ("expanded to" article)

Syria

Yemen


Why They Hate Us

Book Review: The Genius of the Few

"The Story of Those who Founded the Garden in Eden"
Subtitle of The Genius of the Few
by Christian O'Brien with Barbara Joy O'Brien

What does an exploration geologist do with himself upon retirement from a career with a Middle Eastern-based oil company? In the case of Christian O'Brien, he partners with his wife, Barbara Joy, and the two spend their golden decades digging into ancient texts and unearthing archeological clues to help solve some of the mysteries of human origins. The O'Brien studies in the libraries of man and nature demonstrate a shift in viewing perspective; they aimed at secular interpretation and translation of the data. This shift allows the reader breathing room to evaluate and contemplate the implications in the ancient historical records.

"All modern concepts of the Garden of Eden stem from a few verses in the biblical Book of Genesis, none of which is entirely free from ambiguity", begins the O'Brien analysis after a short preface and introduction. Many intelligent and well-read individuals would agree with this statement however very few can argue coherently on or near the point. The Genius of the Few stands ready to arm the most reluctant of debaters with evidence and clarity sufficient to maintain a sturdy, well-informed posture when debating the early biblical texts.

The book provides a flowing stream of references and illustrations along with bibliography and appendices to satisfy the slightest curiosity of scholar, student and weekend researcher. The principal sources for the work are:

1) Sumerian Tablets from the Library at Nippur (held at at the University of Pennsylvania and partially deciphered by George Barton in 1918);

2) Ancient documents from the Hebraic Books of Enoch (Ethiopic, Slavonic and Greek Syncelles and Akkhim framents versions); and

3) The biblical Book of Genesis (Jewish Torah, Jerusalem Bible, King James and Authorized Versions).

The chapter entitled "Eastward in Eden" looks at the Old Testament terms Elohim and YHWH and proposes an alternative interpretation of the words with all due respect to former translators. Elohim is interpreted as "the shining ones" by means of etymological origins in Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian. YHWH (Yahweh) is translated as "leader". (Jehovah being a late entry in the language loom and a derivative of YHWH , it was not independently identified in word or as an entity.) Written together, Yahweh Elohim is translated as Leader - or Lord - of the Shining Ones. The word Khar-sag is translated as "principal" or "lofty" - "fenced enclosure" and is identified as a proper name of a specific location on the map, namely in Lebanon near the Rachaiyah Basin. Thus with the location of the Garden and descriptions of the founders in mind, the foundation is established for forward interpretation of the creation stories.

It is preferable - and worthy - to list here the chapter titles following Eastward in Eden. They are self-explanatory. Any one with an interest in any aspect of the discussions will easily recognize the chapter destinations in Part I of the book:

Where Heaven and Earth Met: The Annunage in Kharsag
The Chronicles of Enoch: The Summons of a Scribe
The Fall of the Watchers: Upset in the Genetic Balance
The Reality of Eden and its Peoples: Study in Geography
and Time
The Making of Man: Study in Hybridization
Destruction in Eden: The First Diaspora

Part II takes up with The Enigma of Yahweh: War-Lord of the Annunage. After rigorous wandering in the desert with Moses and the Pillar, this reader found the following and final chapter, The Unity of Truth, to be a welcomed refreshment. Truth remains available for inspiring discussion and Barbara Joy O'Brien steps lively with a discussion of globally-recognized prophets and their philosophies. The chapter is a more superior guide than a Cliff's Notes for we who are interested in an overview of wise and ancient teachings.

A special delight in the lineup of Appendices is E: An Alternative Genesis. I was reminded of Steve Allen's work entitled "On the Bible, Religion and Morality" wherein he familiarized himself and any interested readers with certain historical facts about the Bible. It is the efforts of society's profoundly devoted, high-caliber independent researchers - such as the O'Briens and Steve Allen and so many more - that revitalizes interest in our stories and emphasizes the necessity of studying their meaning. A passion was fired in Christian O'Brien while a young man under the tutelage of another (Victor Boileau), fueling a quest to sift through the records of human origins. It is good fortune to learn of ones such as he who press on and share historical data not under consideration by the experts, even though the information promises monumental insights regarding the human condition.

With this work, the O'Briens ventured out to blow the dust off of the old manuscripts and tablets and apply logic and common sense when putting together the pieces of the records. Examination and evaluation of the creation and creator deity(ies) may be a responsibility or an honor, as you like it, and either is made friendly through The Genius of the Few.

Knock It Off, Boys

Another squirmish has erupted in the alternative news playground.

Mark Glenn started it.

Now I don't know Mr. Glenn, either personally or by his works. Never heard his name before, the only thing of his I've read is the post exposing his telephone conversation with Jeff Rense. Don't know Jeff Rense personally but I am daily familiar - for the past 9 years - with his news site. I also occassionally listen to his broadcasts, usually his segments with Jim Marrs. This uneven familiarity between the parties does not prevent me from having an opinion, however.

The way I read it, Glenn decided to inform his followers why Rense.com would no longer publish his work and that Rense threatened to call the law on Glenn. Apparently the final submission from Glenn was one that carried tricks along with it, upsetting Rense's computer activities. Glenn denies the possibility of such an occurrence. The implication from Glenn is that his denials precipitated Rense's threat. Here's where the smell gets fishy. Glenn's pleas and arguments of not-guilty did not move Rense to lift the ban on future Glenn submissions. Glenn appealed; and anticipating threats from Rense, had a "witness" listen in on his phone call to Rense to further discuss the ban.

Two hear-says do not a successful duet make and the orchestra of Rense (led by Henry Makow) isn't much better.

Therefore, my best guess is these guys got into a very heated exchange about something that has nothing to do with the rest of us.

Enough already, as they say in the big city.

Very interesting and provable subjects can be read about here.

Irrational Exuberance

Dow Ends Above 11,000 On Fed Hopes

National Press Club - Hmmm

On Monday 27 September 2010, the National Press Club in Washington, DC was the venue for a news conference on the subject of UFOs. The NPC website makes no mention of the event in its news section and various search attempts proved futile. The only conclusion to draw regarding the lack of NPC publicity is that the event was of the "non-sponsored" variety. It must have cost the former Air Force fellows a small fortune to secure the podium and pay for the cookies.

While the conspiracy clubs are all a-tremble with discussions of "disclosure", the media and government took the opportunity to mock or trivialize the event. Gannett/USA Today reporter Ledyard King was assigned to attend but his report was piped to local outlets rather than appearing in the flagship newspaper. Instead, USA Today noted the conference with a stub leading to the trivia piece by Mitch Marconi, staff writer for the Post Chronicle, which in turn linked to King's report. (Culpable reliability?)

As for government acknowledgment and interest in what the former airmen had to say, the cookie monster from the Washington Post reported that "a "John Bailey" from the House Armed Services Committee" attended. The outsourced USA Today reporter offered that . . . "an Air Force spokeswoman cited a 2005 fact sheet that said: "Since the termination of Project Blue Book, nothing has occurred that would support a resumption of UFO investigations."" Topic dismissed.

When it comes to supporting individuals and issues, The National Press Club favors the pompous over the purposeful and the cliches over the questions. Why bother with investigations, reports or findings by serious inquirers, when fact sheets, top-ten lists and analyses by very important impotents will do for national public consumption? May that be the information we glean from yesterday's NPC event news coverage.

The Seven Sages Of Greece

1) Solon of Athens:
"Nothing in excess"

2) Thales of Miletus:
"Caution attracts ruin"

3) Bias of Priene:
"Most men are bad"

4) Gleobulus of Rhodes:
"Moderation is the chief good"

5) Priander of Corinth:
"Work is hastened by thought"

6) Pittacus of Mitylene:
"Catch the opportunity"

7) Chilon of Sparta:
"Man know thyself - and thou shall know the universe"

Copied from the website of The Golden Age Project.

For The Love Of God Story

Once upon a time in the late twentieth century there was a middle-aged divorcee who lived in the bible belt of America. Her name was Laura.

Laura had three children who were all just about out on their own when she met a man named Daniel. He was also a divorcee and had one grown child. At the time, Laura worked as a bookkeeper for a department store. Daniel was a self-employed landscaper. They had met one day, quite by accident, and fell in love at first sight.

For the next couple of years, Laura and Daniel lived apart because neither one was prepared to remarry (they both had unhappy first marriages), and Laura still had one child not quite out of the nest. Once the last child was off on his own, Daniel moved in with Laura. They began to make plans for their future together.

Laura and Daniel counted their pennies, measured their savings and reviewed their retirement plans. They determined how much they could spend on a home of their own and began making plans to buy one. They were very, very happy, and very much in love.

By the time both of them reached retirement age, they had found their home. Hardly ever are there two people so in love as they were. Hardly ever is there such a warm and happy home as theirs was.

Some years into their retirement, Laura suddenly became ill one day and was rushed to the hospital. Daniel was frantic for all the days it took the doctors to find out what was wrong. Laura remained unconscious the whole time. Daniel never left Laura's side except for when she went for tests. When the tests were finally completed, the doctors told Daniel that Laura might never talk or walk again. Daniel's heart broke into pieces.

It was a week later when Daniel went back to their home for the first time since Laura was sick. For hours, he cried and he prayed and he begged God to make Laura well again. Then, without sleeping, he returned to the hospital. He sat beside her bed and he whispered in her ear: "Laura I love you. Do not leave me, please. I can not live without you and I don't want to. You can heal, Laura, I know you can and I will carry you every step of the way. I promise."

Later that day, Laura came out of her coma. One month later, she was back in her beloved home with Daniel. Together, they began doing everything they could think of to make Laura well. In three months, she was starting to talk in a whisper. In six months, she began to use a walker. Within a year, Laura's voice was strong and she could sometimes walk without assistance. Laura and Daniel felt like they had experienced a miracle.

Laura so believed that she had been blessed with a miracle that she decided to go to church. Daniel was not very interested in attending church. Both of them believed in the Christian God and the Good Book but neither of them had been to church for many years (except for special occasions). At first, Daniel was willing to go to church for Laura's sake. Daniel told Laura just that. Laura was not surprised to hear this. She knew Daniel very well. She had begun to make new friends at the church and soon he was off the hook and did not have to go.

About a year after she had been going to church, Laura announced to Daniel that she was moving into the guest room of their home. He was shocked. "Why?!" he asked her. "We live in sin," she replied.

Daniel went to see the church pastor. He told the pastor of his love for Laura. He explained that they would jeopardize their medical insurance, their pensions and even their home if they were to legally wed. Daniel pleaded for help from the pastor. The pastor responded, "I can not change the Laws of God". Daniel's heart broke into pieces.

Two years after Laura started going to church, which was one year after Daniel spoke with the pastor, Laura's health began to weaken. At first the doctors gave her stronger pain medication. Then they prescribed medicine to correct her mental and emotional balance. The medicines did not help. She began having slips and falls and slurring of speech.

Laura and Daniel spent their last years living under the same roof. Laura could not get to church anymore but she read her Bible every day (mostly the Book of Job). Daniel kept his eyes glued to a flat screen wall television (a birthday present to himself).

Laura was assured of one thing: She might qualify for heaven. She was nearly as certain of another: Daniel might too.

And they lived eternally happy ever after.

What Happened To Pastor Manning?

This blog had nothing but praise for Pastor James David Manning in May of this year when he organized and conducted a citizens' trial to determine the citizenship of #44, Barack Hussein Obama.

Pastor Manning is back in the headlines with a video clip entitled "Pastor James Manning on Burning the Quran on 9/11". It was a shock to behold.

James David Manning is a new man. He's shed a few pounds and gives the impression of being fit, healthy and energized. His face is smooth, toned and polished. His haircut wasn't done by the local barber, that's for sure. He appears to be wearing a fine new suit of clothes. He looks ten years younger.

The stage where he records his sermons is completely renovated. The draperies that formerly served as the background have been replaced by a dark gray screen (or wall) and garnished with a $2500 floor globe. He has two new monitors behind his shoulders - where once there were none. He has a new microphone and a new chair. (Can't tell about the desk just yet, but really, unless it was of sentimental value. . .). There's a new camera with zoom feature and apparently a cameraman. The icing on the cake is a colorful crawler on the screen.

So it seems the pastor has recovered from the exhausting work of the tenth amendment trial and that his ministry has since entered a new era of prosperity. Revived and revitalized, Manning calls on Americans to recognize "the Muslim threat".

Manning opened his remarks by citing the great Qur'an burning we've been hearing so much about in the news. Manning defends Terry Jones' first-amendment right to burn 200 books (mail ordered?) but cautions the Floridian pastor that such an act might incite trouble from the Muslims.

According to Manning, "all religions want world domination" and therefore Muslims want world domination. He said that Jesus said to go out and baptise and bring the gospel to all world, implying that Christianity was an exception to the world domination statement. Manning stated that the idea of a one-world religion is a near-impossible one to accomplish. However, if such must be the order of things he thinks it should be Christianity.

As God's representative, the pastor was compelled to refer us to The Bible to increase our knowledge regarding "Islam, Muslims and all Arabic-tongue people". He said that God said that they were "wild" people from their beginning, with the birth of Ishmael, and would remain so until Jesus returns to straighten them out. He told us that Muslims kill each other more frequently than any other people on earth. (In fact, an adulteress will be stoned next week in Iran, he reported.) Manning cited (and had beamed on the crawler), Genesis 16: 10-14 to explain why these people are the way the are. In order to get a clearer understanding of who's who and what's what, we tell the whole story, beginning at Verse 1 from the King James Version:

Hagar and Ishmael

¹ Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

⁶ "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. ⁸ And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

⁹ Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." ¹⁰ The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

¹¹ The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.

¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."

¹³ She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.

¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The pastor was off the mark when he said that God said. It was an angel speaking, not God. As for the pastor's inference that this included "all" Muslims, that is not what the text states. Like most pastors, he exaggerated and pontificated beyond reason. Since Manning's technician did not put up any other biblical text references, it will be assumed that the part about "all Islam, Muslims and Arabic-tongued people" are and always will be "wild" is a lie. Ishmael was the only one pronounced 'wild" in the story. Ishmael's conduct was certainly no surprise given that his mother was forced to have sex with her employer's husband, mistreated for being miserably pregnant, forced to leave, then ordered to return by an angel who prophesied her child would be nothing but trouble.

(As an aside, Christians need to make up their bible-believing minds about whether or not the sins of the fathers are passed on, forgiven when Jesus arrived, or ongoing curses.)

Also, Manning made a point of identifying Ishmael as a "bastard". Rather amusing accusation given the circumstances of the pregnancy and seen in the light of present day socio-familial arrangements. The law no longer permits slave pregnancies, however one can buy a baby, a womb or a cup of sperm at reasonable prices. (Attorney's Fees Not Included.) These days when a wife brings another woman to the marital bed it's for fun and games. (See the Friends episode, the one where Ross' first wife arranges a menage-a-trois.)

Manning tries to convince his audience that the United States of America is under threat by Muslims. With a coward's bluster, he plants an idea in the minds of his own community, saying "some people have suggested" that pigs blood be collected and thrown at mosques in America. He explicitly pointed to the nine-eleven anniversary and the site of the "mosque at ground zero". No mosque will be built AT ground zero. The proposed construction is a Muslim-American community center to be located on the grounds of the old Burlington Coat Factory, 45-51 Park Place. It includes a prayer room, just like any other religious community might include in their community center building plans.

Christian Pastor James David Manning believes that America should have a zero tolerance for Muslims. He advocates a "complete stamping out of all Muslims." Such an attitude is neither American nor Christian. Perhaps there is a reasonable explanation for the pastor's vicious intolerance and complete lack of charity: He's one of those pod people now.

The Ordeal Of Credo Mutwa

There is a young punk operating out of Swaziland who may very well find himself on the underside of a blue car, a prophecy rendered by Credo Mutwa, keeper of the knowledge of the Zulu nation. How that could be is one of the mysteries of the ages.

The 89-year-old Mr. Mutwa describes the ordeal he recently endured where he was sandbagged by a group of thugs and robbed of the Zulu's precious historic artifact, The Necklace Of The Mysteries. It was after incessant pestering from a group who accused him of betraying his people that the shaman donned the necklace and set off to meet his accusers. The disgruntled ones met him at the station, took him hostage, made their accusations and roughed him up, then had their women-folk return him to the station the next day sans the Necklace. They were a ring of young petty criminals although ostensibly natives with a grudge against Mutwa for sharing information with white people. Being an elder with an eye for reading people and understanding situations, his responses apparently unnerved the group - perhaps with the exception of the fairy (Mutwa's uncertain translation to describe the white male in the background).

David Icke and Bill Ryan are currently in South Africa on a pre-arranged visit with Mutwa to chronicle the shaman's life. The two have publicized the story of the theft and are encouraging anyone with information. . .

A Zulu shaman has been assaulted, robbed and dishonored.

A band of poor Africans committed the crimes.

A wealthy conscienceless character has the opportunity to purchase an ancient necklace for private collection.

. . . Icke and Ryan will be filtering quite a number of responses.

Perhaps the misguided criminals may have a change of heart, given the irony of white guy in the room which one would assume the shaman pointed out in one way or another. Regrettably, the chances are remain negligible that the necklace will make it back safely. There are a number of conscienceless characters who would have their anticipating agents positioned on the road back home.

This leads to consideration of one of the other mysteries of the ages: Evil can never be wholly defeated because it owns most of the gold (and copper as in the case of the Necklace) and has the best firepower. Unless there is a change in tactics of course.

Decommissioning the Pedestals of Truth

The alternative news folks are at it again. There has been a parting of the webcasts between Alex Jones and Mike Rivero. Recharging is the feud between Laura Knight and Jim Humble. Across cyber town, there's a Project Camelot reunion. Les Visible is back in the box with Rense and Rivero.

These are the folks who harp, preach and throttle against divide-and-conquer tactics. These are the folks urging their fellows to awaken to truth, face facts, question authorities . . . but then what? Exactly what is it that they and their contemporaries suggest is the next step beyond knowing?

Nothing very helpful or effective from a geewizster point of view.

Jones and Rivero are in the camp that seems to favor the canned goods and shotgun defense preparations. Rense goes along halfway with this; he's not big on firearms apparently. Rense's other half goes along with those who point their readers toward spiritual offense remedies such as visualization, self-realization, calls to cosmic intermediaries, and such sorts of things. As one living in a transient's apartment complex full of homeland security types, I say that neither of these paths to freedom will work. Sure, I might get off a couple of rounds but I'll never make use of the string beans. I can visualize till I'm breathless but the odds of faith bringing forth the angels or an ascension are a gazillion to one. I have enough self-realization to do the calculations.

There have been many instances where the readership of a truth-telling website has been directed to bombard a newspaper or congressional office with letters of outrage or objection. We've been linked to polls in order to demonstrate our numbers. We've been offered tee shirts for being photographed at a protest with a website's banner. Still, objectionable legislation passes, soldiers march off, jobs disintegrate, property is stolen, natural resources appropriated, privacy invaded, and taxes, licenses, fees and penalties continue to mount. In fact the oppressions have accelerated.

The more the truth is made known, the faster our downhill momentum toward collapse.

There are still a few ways in which Americans might get the attention of authorities but they won't be possible for long. Suggestions have been put forward by readers of the "donate now" sites but never put to headline. Some are:

- Stay home on the 4th of July, the day after Thanksgiving and other holiday or shopping days when the citizenry is expected to travel or spend money.

- Refuse to pay annual taxes.

- Do not vote.

- Have a stay home from work day.

- Have a walk, drive, fly or take a bus to DC or state capitols day.

Americans will not successfully defend themselves or pray their way out of this fine mess we've got. Anyone who tries to tell us so needs to have their donate button revoked.

The Hug

What better day to discuss the hug craze than the Roman Catholic-appointed sabbath, a day when there's a whole lot of grin-and-bear-it hugging going on across this church-going nation?

Seems to be that Americans began to embrace the hug heartily somewhere along in the 1990's. From whence it sprang as a casual adult practice is unclear. A good guess is that the hippies started it and 12-step groups stole the idea. Those organizations pride themselves as being bastions of support, comfort and understanding. Because the groups often met in church basements, it was not unexpected that the practice eventually went upstairs. When recovery and other support groups became an American industry, hugging seeped into the medical profession and forged beyond its previous boundary of pediatrics.

So here we are, trained to hug our way to better feelings. It is not working. This is a provable by a peek at the DSM-IV-TR or a glance at the pharmaceutical intake figures.

It used to be that hugging was for children, lovers, occasionally spontaneous sports fans, and some adults in reuniting with a long-absent dear one or seeing them off on a journey. Hugs were and are always present at times of bereavement, they are spontaneous and welcomed displays of human grief.

During the Vietnam War, the term was picked up by the military to describe the enemy's tactic employed to avoid being bombed into oblivion. (One might reasonably hypothesize that this tactic gave birth to the acceptance of civilian casualties and friendly fire as regrettable consequences of engaging the enemy.)

Prior to the second half of the 20th century, hugging between acquaintances and strangers was virtually unheard of. Now it is commonplace to be caught by the rhetorical demand, "Can I get a hug?"

No, thank you, I hardly know you.

How many are brave enough to say no when they would prefer not to be embraced? Some of us raise an eyebrow, scowl or step back in hopes of dissuasion. Such a response often leads the hugger to be offended or to launch into a pop-psychology attack. Woe be tied for the one who refuses the advance from agents of God or the healthcare system. Here's where being a curmudgeon or a witch comes in handy, or for the small child, being a spoiled brat is useful for avoiding the hug. Unfortunately for them, eventually either their immunity will be compromised or they shall endure the trials of reprogramming. At the rate society is pushing the hug, they will soon join the rest of us out here the hugosphere.

Of course, there are those granted birth-right exception from the hug. . .

If one is an aristocat (spelling intentional), hugs are out of the question. To be of royalty or celebrity -- anyone from the tippy-top echelons of government, business and religion -- is to be exempt from the hug. It is not just the bodyguard or security detail that provide defense. None dare touch the great ones because that's the rule. Members of society have been indoctrinated in the minutest principles of respect for authority. It took a few generations for the great divide between members and rulers to become obvious and secure. It won't be compromised by a hug.

Anyone who thinks they are beyond the grasp of the average bear need only ask themselves, "Can I be hugged today?" If one answers yes or maybe, then that one is not of the social strata they're kidding themselves they belong to. Think about it -- imagine trying to give CEO 44 or Pope 266 a hug.

There was much ado when #44 Michelle Obama put her hand on Queen Elizabeth II's back during their meet-and-greet. However the gesture was not a hug. Granted, it was improper and ill-advised contact. But this was the chance QE II took when she granted audience without permitting her sister to review and tutor the first couple. Another explanation given is that Michelle Obama is a direct descendant of the pharaohs, giving the first lady divine right upmanship on the queen. Perhaps. If so, that was risky business on Michelle's part. Elizabeth has control of all the records and Michelle's geneological documentation could disappear with the flick of bic.

Granted, there are a few humans out there that are traditional huggers on all occasions and would be no matter the fad or social training. Some are affectionate-natured (usually women and children) and the rest are perverts (usually men from this female perspective). The exceptions need not be detailed, we know who they are and why they do it. (Ever notice that Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith seem awfully friendly at church?)

All too often the hug is an invasion of personal privacy which of course explains why it is gaining in acceptance in these underwear-as-outerwear days.

Checkout Lines

People: Jen's New Man (Her latest co-star)

Star: Jen's Baby Plans (Adoption says close source)

National Enquirer: Brad & Angie (Split/Rekindle/Adopt)

National Examiner: Anguished Last Days (Of dying/dead celebrity)

The Sun: Nostradamus Prediction (The End Is Nigh)

Time: Person of the Week (Human)

Newsweek: Person of the Week (Corporation)

Cosmo: What He Really Wants In Bed! (You!- To do all the work!)

O!: The Best You! (New Exercise! New Mantra!)

Vogue: Hot New Looks for the Season (Under $100.00 (Each seam))

Good Housekeeping: The Five-Minute Meal (Chicken, Rice & Vegetable)

Better Homes & Gardens: Easy, Breezy Nook & Cranny (Redecorate)

Readers Digest: 5 Ways to Save (Clip, Trim, Keep, Recycle, Trade)

Soap Opera Digest: Who Will Die? (Not Sonny Corinthos)

Horoscope: Your Lucky Numbers (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)

The Price Tag Of Truth

My fellow Americans, brothers and sisters in spirit, dear friends, kinfolk, neighbors, strangers, and global cyber passerbys, we come to serve and service Truth for you. This mission - now a life's work - is nothing more or less than a response to the prompt from Who Whom has chosen this vessel for Truth duty.

Dear ones, we bring this urgent revelatory message from Who Whom: Truth is not and can not be free.

Upon reading this revelation, many of you will be startled. We anticipate your defiance, your rejection, your rebellion against these words of Truth. We expect your mind will be confused and your heart will be troubled. Depart immediately to the quiet place where the sea waves splash, the mountain air refreshes, the hoot owl lulls, or the card swiper signals positive. Reflect on the imperfect nature of you, a mere human in the grand scheme of all that is, was and ever will be. Return to our words when you have seen the light of open-mindedness and have felt the melting of your heart.

Hear ye this, beloved: Orderly earthly existence demands that Truth be told. The way of telling is narrow and twofold; it rolls either off the presses or the tongues of the chosen. Both methods require amplification. Amplification, properly and effectively conveyed, requires human effort. This, dearest ones, is your cue.

Cyberspace access and presence, recording and transmission devices, publication instruments, and lecture halls are the bare necessities of Truth conveyance. Essentials to be secured for the vessel of Truth are transportation, lodging, and meals.

Beloved, let's not do this on the cheap. Consider the impact of Truth in HD sound with special effects graphics, broadcast from the paw of the Sphinx or the altar of the Chrystal Cathedral. Ruminate upon the numbers reached by embedding the vessel of Truth in locations such as Jerusalem, Mecca, Fatima, Tibet, or the International Space Station. Reflect upon the impression of a well-dressed, professionally fresh-faced, manicured, and shiatsued vessel.

Little ones, you shall awaken to your sacrificial tasks. The very least of you have services or coins to offer which will please and glorify Who Whom assigns this vessel of Truth.

Your rewards are forthcoming if - and only if - you will place your trust in Who Whom appoints this vessel. Remember good and faithful people that life after life is a known unknown. We urge you not to be left behind or unpositioned. The best is yet to come for those who morn, weep, toil, suffer and bleed. If you the dimmest lights shine together to move forward this vessel so that Truth can be sold to all seekers, your names will be branded in the gold book adorned with silver trim and precious gemstones that is located in the other-dimensional temple.

To the rich human who is poor in spirit, we say: Send in a million dollars, and make this one a millionaire vessel. What better evidence, what more demonstration, could Who Whom ask from one whose pampered and sassy self will not otherwise fit through the eye of the needle?

Think upon these things, oh ye in confusion. An eternal glorious destination depends on faith. Faith must abide in a sturdy and magnificent vessel if it is to survive the greatest trip ever a human may make.

Delay not! for the costs of vessel construction are skyrocketing and the number of utopia-bound vessels are limited.

Act now and you too can be an investor in what shall be the greatest vessel Who Whom has ever anointed.

The Program

In the year of the harmonic convergence, the sun set on my young adult life and I grabbed on to Alcoholics Anonymous in fear of everlasting drunkenness. Over the course of the next seven years I went through three sponsors. Year fourteen, the homeless year, I accessed online support at the public library. Sixteen years in, the last sponsor died and was not replaced. Year twenty was the last I saw of the rooms.

In the beginning when the mind fog cleared and I began trudging the road to happy destiny, it became obvious to me that some folks got to cruise instead of trudge. Later I realized how that was possible: rule bending by select interpretation of the texts based on knowledge of AA's hidden history. Still I did not give up the idea that if I would continue working the steps to the best of my ability, the promises found on page 89 in the book would come true for me. Or at least half of them. In the end days I searched diligently to find one or two once or twice.

Recently reminded of meditation by Pope 266, I was inspired to revisit the website of Agent Orange, an investigative critic of Alcoholics Anonymous. New information specifically of interest was that on the Pacific Group's Clancy Imislund. Clancy is an AA superhero; skid row mission founder, media darling, and pigeon of the late Chuck Chamberlain.

Chuck's and Clancy's tapes were required listening during my first seven years in AA. I was trained to worship them and emblazon their words in my memory banks.

One day while listening to a Chuck tape that had always grated on my nerves, I had the sudden thought that Richard Chamberlain was his son - the young child he mocked with one of his smart remarks in the annoying tape. At the time (the pre-google era) I couldn't prove my intuited theory and forgot the offending remark by not listening to that particular Chuck C. tape ever again. Those guys tell the same stories over and over anyway so my sponsor and the group busybodies never detected any deficiency in my chuckisms. The experience was one of the first indications that the gods of AA weren't as advertised .

About a year ago I spotted Richard Chamberlain's autobiography at the public library and stayed up the night to finish it. He is indeed the son of Chuck C. There was satisfaction in reading that Richard turned out to be a gentleman of integrity and purpose. Chuck never had a clue what those words meant outside of the AA definitions. That is why I was willing to leave poor old Chuck undisturbed in file storage - until today.

After catching up with Clancy antics at the Orange Papers, I got the sudden urge to google Chuck. Looks like the anonymous alcoholic made a name for himself with the beltway bandits.

On September 27, 1969, Chuck C. testified "anonymously" before the Senate Drug and Alcohol Abuse Subcommittee. He was introduced and led by fellow AA member Senator Harold Hughes. Indications are that they did not acknowledge their brotherhood for the record. I do not know if any of the other senators in attendance (Dominick, Saxbe, Cranston and Murphy) had any knowledge of the program.

Skipping past Chuck's AA-qualifying self-introduction, his purpose in testifying begins to unfold:

Now, we in Alcoholics Anonymous think that alcoholism is a disease. You have heard it spoken of this morning several times as such. I think informed medical opinion throughout the country recognizes it as a disease. It is defined as a disease of twofold nature, an allergy of the body coupled with an obsession of the mind.

However, most of us, or many of us, think that there is a third factor. We think it's a living problem. We do not deny the allergy of the body or the obsession of the mind.

At this point, Chuck reverts back to his AA story in support of his theory that there is a "third factor" in the "disease" of alcoholism called a "living problem". Then he gets back on track:

Now, we feel that the medical approach and psychological approach, and the religious approach are all good. We feel that all approaches to this disease should be brought to bear upon it, but most of us are convinced that if we're going to get rid of the bottle we have to replace it with something better, with a state of being that makes drinking unnecessary.

Again, he goes off to Chuck land before getting on with the big set up:

We think that before long it might be the legal opinion that they can't throw us in jail any more just for being a drunk, that we have to be taken care of as sick people. And it looks as though there will have to be detoxification enters and halfway houses throughout the country.

And it's going to take a lot of money. It's going to take a lot of know-how. We are very pleased about the fact that there is a separate committee now that is very much interested in this problem and that it is manned by knowledgeable people. We think that perhaps through the medium of these meetings throughout the country more interest will be brought to bear on the Senate as a whole and that as a result you will get appropriations which will make it possible for you to do some things -- such as setting up these detoxification centers and halfway houses. (Emphasis added.)

Chuck then asks his own question, "In this event what would be the position of Alcoholics Anonymous?" To which he answered himself:

Traditionally we neither endorse or oppose any causes. We cooperate but we do not affiliate. We are on tap in most of these things, but never on top. So I think our position would be this: That when the detoxification has been accomplished, that we would, as individual members of Alcoholic Anonymous, then be available to share our experience, strength and hope with those who are coming through the halfway houses. And it is from this angle that I think that it would be of the greatest benefit to your program. We cannot take an active part as a society, but we can take an active part as individuals.

"On tap . . . but never on top"? How obsequious. Nevertheless, Chuck has cut "AA" a piece of the pie and offers his fellow AAs in sacrifice to the great work:

[W]e are most happy that you, all of you, are headed in the direction in which you're headed. And we want to help as much as it is humanly possible for us to help, both in seeing to it that you get an appropriation - maybe by doing a little work on the rest of the Senate by letters, and so forth - and also by being on tap when you need to call on us later on.

Senator H interrupts to clarify AA's position in the scheme of things. Furthermore and in conclusion and while still on tap, Chuck pours a sparkling future for the industry:

They are going to be sent to these detoxification centers. But they're going to be sent there by the court or by the police instead of being sent to jail. They will have to go through that. But to a large extent they will have to go to the halfway houses once they are set up.

Only one other senator cross-examined Chuck:

Senator Dominick. That program has worked; that's what I want to know?

Mr. Chuck C. Yes.

Senator Dominick. Where they say you go there or you go to jail?

Mr. Chuck C. Very definitely. I happen to be very familiar with Judge Harrison's work up in Des Moines. But I believe Judge Taft in Santa Monica was one of the first to use this approach many, many years ago.

And I've talked at meetings where there were over a hundred men and women who had been sober a year or more who had initially been sentenced to the program by Judge Taft and it worked.

Senator Dominick. Let's use another word. Let's say recommended.

Mr. Chuck C. Recommended. Okay. (audience laughter).

During the testimony, there were no facts or statistics requested or provided to show the effectiveness or success rate of the alcoholics anonymous program. The numbers that Chuck offered concerned the potential market of a recovery industry:

Now, we have been in existence as Alcoholic Anonymous for 34 years. We have a membership of perhaps some 500,000 but we see that's just a slight percentage, it may be 2 percent, of the problem drinkers. And that's all we've been able to accomplish in 34 years. But we're not selling it short. We love it, but much more has to be done.

And so it appears that Chuck C and Senator H established the foundation of the recovery industry by casting the magic words "common knowledge" upon the "disease" of alcoholism. A disease that demands government attention and intervention. A disease which led to an industry that 41 years later saturates politics with influence. An industry whose founding movement continues to enjoy media protection, as suggested by this 2000 headline from the UK Guardian:

"Drink advice service confronts sex abuse"

Drink advice service? Oh come on. Given the story content, the damn thing should have blasted: Thirteenth Step Exposed! I won't count how many times it was suggested - after slogans and steps proved ineffective for myself and others - that lecherous behavior be forgiven because the book says that "whenever I'm disturbed, no matter what the cause, there's something wrong with me".

My arguments against this particular AA principle were dismissed by the grand ones yet they themselves would come up with a commandment or slogan to justify their own questionable advances and score-settling activities. Nevertheless and again, I kept working the steps. I imagined that my own sense of integrity and goodwill, in the hands of the higher power, would lead to a life that was "happy, joyous and free". It took me twenty years to figure out that I would not benefit from the real meaning behind the slogan "it works if you work it".

Chuck Chamberlain and Senator Hughes were following in the footsteps of AA's founder, Bill Wilson. All three, and their AA friends, successors and agents, were/are fast-talking schemers convinced that some are more equal than others. That, for the most part, is the secret knowledge of Alcoholics Anonymous.

I-75 Jesus Bursts Into Flames

A poster at Above Top Secret had a great story for the mid-morning coffee break, picked up from a staff report of the Dayton Daily News:

Solid Rock Church's King of Kings monument struck by lightning

MONROE — Charred remnants remained this morning, June 15, of the large Jesus statue iconic to Interstate 75 that was destroyed following an apparent lightning strike during a thunderstorm late Monday night.

The Lawrence Bishop Music Theater at Solid Rock Church on Union Road endured smoke damage, according to officials. Damages to the King of Kings statue and the theater were estimated to be around $700,000, said Monroe Fire Chief Mark Neu.

Monroe, Ohio must be a very small town if the fire chief is also the insurance appraiser; after all, human resources compartmentalization is nearly complete in here in the good ole US of A.

According to WLWT, initial financing for the 2004 erection was $250,000. This means that the smoke damage at the Lawrence Bishop Music Theatre must be just awful. On top of that, there's more damage estimates to come according to Fire Chief Insurance Appraiser Neu:

Also lost in the fire was audio equipment stored in the attic that Neu said was to be used for a Fourth of July event at the church. No damage estimate will be available until 10 a.m. today, said Neu, who added that church leaders indicated to him they planned to replace and rebuild all that was lost in the fire.

In researching the Solid Rock empire which gave birth to the late Butter Jesus, a church video was selected but unfortunately Pastor Lawrence Bishop was not involved in the production. Instead there was a visiting preacher hosted by the pastor's wife, Co-Pastor Darlene Bishop. Darlene is the understanding founder of a 501(c)3 for troubled girls (provided said 501(c)3 is assured of the "applicant’s ability to benefit from our program"). Judging from the photo splash at the website, one benefit seems to be a new attitude for young women "Ages 18 and over". Of course, none will ever match the style and pizzaz of the founder herself, no not even one from the congregation or the choir. Darlene has the same shopping god as Joyce Meyer, Paula White and other select holy first ladies.

Pastor husband horse-trader and holy crooner Lawrence can afford for his wife to dress exclusively judging from the photo splash on his for-profit (we say that on faith) LB Ranch. They certainly are the busy couple. Fortunately they have established a low-maintenance congregation; bible-believing, penitent, rejoicing, hard-working, kind, and generous human beings. The kind of human beings who have been fleeced by prosperity pushers through the financing-for-everyone decades. The confidence preachers that convinced their flocks that "doors were opened by God" and therefore a tithe was due on that dining room set from Rent-a-Center.

The game is nearly over for the mega churches and their confidence men and women, the diddlers. CEO 44's purpose-driven diddler, Rick Warren, begged for money last Christmas, got more than he asked for, then leased Schuller's Crystal Cathedral retreat. The Robert Schuller empire is crumbling as did Oral Roberts', James Kennedy's, Jerry Falwell's, and Jim Baaker's. Warren's won't last either but there seems to be some punch behind his recent lease acquisition. If the Bishops pursue another Touchdown Jesus erection, Warren's financiers might consider plucking up the Solid Rock campus before dispatching Warren to bankruptcy and a blurb in the Presidential trivia books. Somewhere up the mergers & acquisitions ladder at least one pair of eyes is monitoring the disposition of church property in America and making bids thereon.

Last night the King of Kings was struck on the right hand, burst into flames and was reduced to a charred black frame. Haunting - like an Edgar Allen Poe sentence. Poe, who had a little something to say about the confidence game:

"Diddling, rightly considered, is a compound, of which the ingredients are minuteness, interest, perseverance, ingenuity, audacity, nonchalance, originality, impertinence, and grin".

Church Recovers From Enemy Strike

Number 266 on the papal list, Benedict XVI, offered a Sacrifice of the Mass on 11 June 2010 to conclude the Year of the Priest.

MSNBC ran the headline, Pope begs forgivness, promises action on abuse. AP Writer Nicole Winfield takes us out of the gate:

VATICAN CITY - Addressing the clerical abuse scandal from the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has begged forgiveness from victims and promised at a Mass celebrated by 15,000 priests from around the world to "do everything possible" to protect children.

From the vatican website, the very long sentence* spoken by Pope 266:

We too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again; and that in admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them and watch over them in troubled situations and amid life’s dangers.

Heads up for a new clergy resources division offering lots of seminars and correspondence courses and mandatory online workshops for this year's - and subsequent classes of - recruits. No word on the fate of the fallen, although there was word about the greatest of the fallen, the enemy himself. Winfield puts it simply:

Benedict implied the devil was behind the timing of the scandal, saying the Year of the Priest was supposed to have been a year in celebration of the priesthood and encouragement for new vocations.

His holiness 266 was more eloquent:

We have to beg for workers for God’s harvest, and this petition to God is, at the same time, his own way of knocking on the hearts of young people who consider themselves able to do what God considers them able to do. It was to be expected that this new radiance of the priesthood would not be pleasing to the “enemy”; he would have rather preferred to see it disappear, so that God would ultimately be driven out of the world. And so it happened that, in this very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light – particularly the abuse of the little ones*, in which the priesthood, whose task is to manifest God’s concern for our good, turns into its very opposite.

*This clause is the first mention of the allegations. The very long sentence followed. Then the pope went on:

Had the Year for Priests been a glorification of our individual human performance, it would have been ruined by these events. But for us what happened was precisely the opposite: we grew in gratitude for God’s gift, a gift concealed in “earthen vessels” which ever anew, even amid human weakness, makes his love concretely present in this world. So let us look upon all that happened as a summons to purification, as a task which we bring to the future and which makes us acknowledge and love all the more the great gift we have received from God. In this way, his gift becomes a commitment to respond to God’s courage and humility by our own courage and our own humility. The word of God, which we have sung in the Entrance Antiphon of the liturgy, can speak to us, at this hour, of what it means to become and to be priests: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).

From here the pope announced the celebration of the Sacred Heart Of Jesus which was pierced by a Roman sword to allow a double flow of knowingness of God's heart as interpreted through the liturgy. He spent a moment meditating on chanting. Then he expounded on the verses of Psalm 23 as applicable to the new shepherds. He told them that the priesthood was more than an office, it was a sacrament that bestowed the power to forgive sins. He spoke to their responsibilities for the flock (men and women - nothing about children). He hit a few history notes. He advised them on the care and wielding of the rod and staff.

Other than the clause and the long sentence, the pope made no mention of the pedophile accusations, coverup charges, perpetrators' dispositions, victim settlements or preventative measures to-do list. However, Winfield was good enough to puff the piece by recounting three other occasions of papal responsibility assumption; one in a letter to the Irish Catholics, a second at a private meeting with victims in Malta, and most recently on the papal plane en route to Portugal.

Returning to the celebration, Pope 266 opened his homily with an ending:

The Year for Priests which we have celebrated on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the death of the holy Curè of Ars, the model of priestly ministry in our world, is now coming to an end.

Cure d'Ars: St.Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, France (8 May1786-4 August1859). Director of souls, founder of a home for destitute girls which became a French institutional model ("closed in 1847, because the holy curé thought that he was not justified in maintaining it in the face of the opposition of many good people"); a military deserter; educationally-challenged; and a saint in three miracle categories:

• first, the obtaining of money for his charities and food for his orphans;
• secondly, supernatural knowledge of the past and future;
• thirdly, healing the sick, especially children.
  

South Africa Confirmed

Raymond Perrier, Director of the Jesuit Institute, South Africa, reckons that the World Cup is South Africa's celebration of transformation into more than just a Soldier of Christ. He explains:

South Africa celebrated in 1994 at the birth of our new nation, witnessed like all miracle births with awe and wonder by an unbelieving world. The country celebrated again in 1995 as Mandela wore the Springbok shirt and South Africa won the Rugby World Cup. But maybe that was a bit like a Baptism celebration – slightly staged, a bit constructed. We could all see what was happening but perhaps not everyone felt it.

But now in 2010 the adolescent South Africa is celebrating its coming of age. This is Confirmation and Dvija and Bar/Bat Mitzvah all rolled into one. And the celebration is spontaneous. And it is infectious!

Johannasburg street vendors might debate Perrier that the celebration was not spontaneous in that corporate solicitations were advanced and secured for the vendors' locations, which knocked the locals out of business. Neither is the celebration infectious for anyone without the wherewithall to enjoy or profit from the partying of an overindulged adolescent as described by the holy-type padre Perrier:

You cannot tell a teenager how and when to celebrate. All you can do is give them permission and leave them to get on with it. The World Cup has given South Africa permission and, under God’s benign smile, we are making full use of it. And if a teenage celebration involves a lot of noise and mess and hangovers and a few things being damaged....well, that is teenagers for you!

As a rule of law, adults are forbidden to permit underage offspring to drink, disturb the peace or to engage in acts of vandalism. There are no exceptions for Confirmation, Dvija and Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrations. One would assume this holds true everywhere in the world where the cross, crown or democracy reigns. But of course Perrier is of a social strata where the same rules do not apply as those law-enforced upon others. His are the folks partying down in South Africa. They are the logos that brought to life the World Cup. And the logos do nothing out of the goodness of their own hearts, nor do they spend a dime of their own money.

Dave Zirin of The Nation quotes The Anti-Privatization Forum of South Africa:

Our government has managed, in a fairly short period of time, to deliver "world class" facilities and infrastructure that the majority of South Africans will never benefit from or be able to enjoy. The APF feels that those who have been so denied, need to show all South Africans as well as the rest of the world who will be tuning into the World Cup, that all is not well in this country, that a month long sporting event cannot and will not be the panacea for our problems. This World Cup is not for the poor -- it is the soccer elites of FIFA, the elites of domestic and international corporate capital and the political elites who are making billions and who will be benefiting at the expense of the poor.

Along with his own non-neoliberal opinion, Zurin offers the estimated tax burden before damages:

In the hands of FIFA and the ruling African National Congress, the World Cup has been a neoliberal Trojan Horse, enacting a series of policies that the citizens of this proud nation would never have accepted if not wrapped in the honor of hosting the cup. This includes $9.5 billion in state deficit spending ($4.3 billion in direct subsidies and another $5.2 billion in luxury transport infrastructure). This works out to about $200 per citizen.

Green cleanup logos are expected to add a respectable amount to the total bill, after which a new reality emerges but not before the sound and call of the meantime. Perrier explains:

Of course, after the party we will have to face the reality of our new responsibilities as a mature member of the family of nations. And we might continue to make some mistakes. And will hopefully learn from those mistakes. But in the meantime, the trumpets are sounding. And they are calling us to party!

Perrier's party report:

Many Mass-goers in Johannesburg this coming Sunday will be clad in the vibrant yellow and green of Bafana, Bafana, the national football team. This is not some change in the liturgical calendar; but instead an invitation by the bishops to celebrate Soccer Sunday. And whether the national team win, lose or draw on the opening day of the tournament, the city will be celebrating the fact that for the next four weeks they are the centre of the known universe.

It may be easy to dismiss all this as an attempt by dull Church people to leap on the trendy bandwagon. But I would ask you not to dismiss so quickly. Celebration is key to our lives as people, and as people of God. Our Mass is a celebration. Our baptisms and weddings are celebrations. As Christians, even our funerals are celebrations.

The Ignatian tradition challenges us to ‘see God in all things’. So where do we find God in this celebration of 2010? Despite the corporate sponsors and the politics and the FIFA control freakery, God is in South Africa. And dressed in yellow and green!

God is logos; Confirmation is Dvija and Bar/Bat Mitzvah; and neoliberals are the enemy. Roger that.

CEO 44 Struts His Gangsta

Reacting to the irresistible force that is CEO 44, the Associated Press has blossomed with a timeline of sweet nothings howled at the gulf. Like all childish lovers, the AP is deaf, dumb and blind in face of the facts and takes poetic license in recounting the breaths. Moreover, this blossom has impressed its scent onto page one of the search engines. Even forbes.com is carrying the timeline.

The AP's timeline is reprinted in red. Story links therein are to AP search headlines page. The AP did not provide links to presidential comments/transcripts. That excavation follows in blueish:


Thursday, May 27 — At a news conferences, Obama says his daughter Malia asked him that morning: "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?" He tells his TV audience he accepts responsibility for mending the situation and talks of a "scandalously close relationship" between Big Oil and government regulators.

27 May 2010 Press Conference Transcript:

And so my job right now is just to make sure that everybody in the Gulf understands this is what I wake up to in the morning and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about — the spill. The — and it’s not just me, by the way. You know, when I woke up this morning, and I’m shaving, and Malia knocks on my bathroom door and she peeks in her head and she says, “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” — (soft laughter) — because I think everybody understands that, you know, when we are fouling the Earth like this, it has concrete implications not just for this generation but for future generations.

I grew up in Hawaii, where the ocean is sacred. And when you see birds flying around with — with oil all over their feathers and turtles dying and — you know, that’s — that doesn’t just speak to the immediate economic quences (sic) — consequences of this; this speaks to, you know, how are we caring for this incredible bounty that we have?

On to the scandalous:

But this oil spill has made clear that more reforms are needed. For years there’s been a scandalously close relationship between oil companies and the agency that regulates them. That’s why we’ve decided to separate the people who permit the drilling from those who regulate and ensure the safety of the drilling.

To do list:

First, we will suspend the planned exploration of two locations off the coast of Alaska.

Second, we will cancel the pending lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico and the proposed lease sale off the coast of Virginia.

Third, we will continue the existing moratorium and suspend the issuance of new permits to drill new deepwater wells for six months.

And four, we will suspend action on 33 deepwater exploratory wells currently being drilled in the Gulf of Mexico.

Saturday, May 29 — Obama says it is "as enraging as it is heartbreaking" that BP's latest attempt to stop the oil, known as "top kill," has failed.

29 May 2010. As I said yesterday, every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us. It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimized by this manmade disaster are made whole.

And on the next days, he rested.

Tuesday, June 1 — Obama introduces a national commission to examine the causes of the spill. He implores them "to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor." Attorney General Eric Holder visits Louisiana and announces he is exploring charges against BP and the other firms involved in the spill.

Let's assume the general is mentioned only to prove that the ass kicker does generals too. He'll be left out of the discussion. In tracking down the rest of 44's partial quote, it is that 44 was quoting himself from the meeting with Bob 'n Bill:

01 June 2010. I just said in our meeting: In doing this work, they have my full support to follow the facts wherever they may lead -- without fear or favor. And I’m directing them to report back in six months with options for how we can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling.

Sub category alert; another macho moment which will be ignored as was the general:

Tuesday, June 1 — Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs tells reporters he's seen the president express "rage" over the spill. Pressed for examples, Gibbs describes his boss' "clenched jaw" and his order to "plug the damn hole."

In Pittsburgh a/k/a at Carnegie Mellon U:

Wednesday, June 2 — In a speech in Pittsburgh, Obama taps into public outrage over the spill to press Congress to scrap billions in oil company tax breaks and pass legislation to help the nation kick a dangerous "fossil fuel addiction."

02 June 2010. But the only way the transition to clean energy will ultimately succeed is if the private sector is fully invested in this future -- if capital comes off the sidelines and the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs is unleashed. And the only way to do that is by finally putting a price on carbon pollution.

No, many businesses have already embraced this idea because it provides a level of certainty about the future. And for those that face transition costs, we can help them adjust. But if we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction -- if we don’t factor in the environmental costs and the national security costs and the true economic costs -- we will have missed our best chance to seize a clean energy future.

The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate -- a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans -- that would achieve the same goal. And, Pittsburgh, I want you to know, the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months. (Applause.) I will continue to make the case for a clean energy future wherever and whenever I can. (Applause.) I will work with anyone to get this done -- and we will get it done.

Thursday, June 3 — Obama says he is "furious" about the situation in the Gulf and that BP hasn't moved fast enough to respond to the oil spill. The president says in an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live" that BP has felt his anger — although he says "venting and yelling at people" won't solve the problem.

03 June 2010. KING: Some -- I know you -- you appear so calm.

Are you angry at BP?

OBAMA: You know, I am furious at this entire situation, because this is an example of where somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions. And it is imperiling not just a handful of people, this is -- this is imperiling an entire way of life and an entire region for, potentially, years. So...

KING: Has the company felt your anger?

OBAMA: Well, they have felt the anger. But what I haven't seen as much as I'd like is the kind of rapid response.

Now, they want to solve the problem, too, because this is cost -- costing them a lot of money. And the one thing that I think is important to underscore is that I would love to just spend a lot of my time venting and yelling at people. But that's not the job I was hired to do. My job is to solve this problem. And, ultimately, this isn't about me and how angry I am. Ultimately, this is about the people down in the Gulf who are being impacted and what am I doing to make sure that they're able to salvage their way of life?

And that's going to be the main focus that I've got in the weeks and months ahead.

The photo op:

Friday, June 4 — On his third trip to the Gulf Coast since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, Obama rips into BP, asserting, "I don't want them nickel-and-diming people down here."

Wow. A whole sentence quote. That is indeed impressive and shall stand on its own merit.

And on the next days, he rested.

Monday, June 7 — Obama declares his administration will "make sure" that BP fully compensates Gulf Coast individuals and businesses harmed by the spill.

The phrase "make sure" was used eleven (11) times in his nine (9)-minute comments, but the correct one has been identified:

07 June 2010. Let me just make one final point, and I think this was something that was emphasized by everybody here, and it's something that I want to say to the American people. This will be contained. It may take some time, and it's going to take a whole lot of effort. There is going to be damage done to the Gulf Coast and there is going to be economic damages that we've got to make sure BP is responsible for and compensates people for.

To ensure that people are immediately compensated, a bill was tendered three days earlier:

June 3, 2010: 7:26 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Obama administration has sent a $69 million bill to BP for the U.S. government's efforts to help deal with the energy company's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The current $69 million bill accounts for 75% of what BP owes to date, and the company has until July 1 to pay the full amount, an administration official said Thursday.

Tuesday, June 8 — Obama says in an interview on NBC's "Today" show that his talks with Gulf fishermen and oil spill experts are not an academic exercise. They're "so I know whose ass to kick." He also lashes at Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP, for saying earlier that "I want my life back," that the Gulf is "a big ocean" and that "the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest."

"He wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements," Obama says.

Yeh, yeh, yeh. . . big shot talks big after a private conference with handpicked representatives of the crisis.

So who works for our mister big? Who are our asses assets? We turn again to cnnmoney.com:

Included in the bill sent to BP was a $29 million charge for Federal agencies to operate ships, aircraft and boats to monitor environmental damage and another $29 million charge for the activation and deployment of the National Guard, an administration official said.

BP owes $7 million for removal operations and other environmental assessment efforts and $4 million for the Department of Defense's removal efforts and operation of ships and aircraft.

The millions paid by BP will be applied to important assets thusly:

The money received from BP will help to regularly replenish the $1.5 billion Oil Liability Trust Fund that covers damage costs associated with oil spills, according to the statement.

The man is makin' sure.