In today's Wichita Eagle Opinion Line, this gem: "I named my dog "Congress" because of the way he handles his business in the house."

*****

Whilst channel surfing with my handy TV remote control, I was captivated by the image of a small dog that had been abused to the point where near death. Abused animals always hurt my heart and activate my desire to do bodily harm to whomever hurt the animal in question - cat, dog, bird, turtle.

A woman was being interviewed. Her young son is autistic. The woman and her husband fostered - and later adopted - the puppy and through the miracles of modern veterinary medicine, the dog lived, healed and became a healthy adult dog. The autistic child and the dog are bosom buddies, and the child functions better than ever because of the bond between him and the dog.

That’s a heart warming story.

The story was ruined when the woman said the dog was a godsend, that god had brought that dog into their lives to help their son, as well as the dog.

I tried to get my mind around this. Did god create an autistic child, then cause a puppy to be abused, just so this same god could eventually bring the puppy and the autistic child together just so this woman could give all the glory to her Invisible Assumptive in the sky?

This is the logical conclusion. God brought the pair together, the woman thanks he god for doing that.

Why isn’t she questioning why god would have created an autistic child in the first place? Why would god allow a puppy to be abused? And why would god then manipulate the world so this puppy and child could be together?

Wouldn’t a god who can manipulate the world to bring a boy and a dog together should be capable of doing so much more?

Went to the zoo last Thursday. This little guy was looking at all the funny humans who were looking at him.

The hypocritical GOP is now for GAY marriage? Get real. These folks will say and do anything to stay in power. Most of them as a reliable as a tine-less fork.

On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address.

He ended his brief remarks, saying: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have bourne the battle and for his wife and for his orphan, to all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and all other nations.”

Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Lincoln was shot on the night April 14, 1865. He died the following morning. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William Tecumseh Sherman on April 16, 1965, and the (un) Civil War was over.

How could we have know the intention of Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev should they have walked along beside us on Boston city street the afternoon of April 15, 2013?

How could anyone have anticipated that a group of plotters were devising plans to assassinate the President, the Secretary of State and other members of the President’s cabinet? In the photograph - the only known photograph of Lincoln’s second inaugural address, John Wilkes Booth is standing amid other people within circle A. President Lincoln is signified by circle B.

In circle C we find David Herold, George Atzerodt, Lewis Powell, Edmund Spangler and John Surratt.

Oops!

******

People wonder what the Tsanraev boys were thinking, what kind of statement they intended to make?

SEdgwick County, Kansas had a 6.9% voter turn out three weeks ago. I wonder what kind of statement that?

People wants to know what some Muslim magazine explains how to make bombs.W have magazine that tell us how. There are books in libraries that tll us how. Site on line that tell us how. And obviouslt there was at least one fireworks stand where anyone could get some ofd the bomb ingredients.We are selling guns in higher than ever numbers. Polie and Sherrif departments worry if they can get sufficient ammunition. More people died violntly in Wichita, Kansas, thus far in April, than the three people who were victims of a pressure cooker bomb.

Winter in late April? Another example of how 911 changed everything.

I had an opinion published in this morning's Wichita Eagle.

"Is there any truth to the rumor that of the five remaining moderates in Kansas, three are in hiding, and the other two will be featered in a special exhibit at the Sedgwick Count Zoo throughout the month of May."

On this day in 1969, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was sentenced to death for killing Bobby Kennedy.  His sentence was latr commuted to life in prison in 1972. There is something satisfying in knowing that one  man's few seconds of hatred has rsulted in 44 years, thus far, of a depravation of his personal freedom.

I believe that something similar might be the fate for Dzhokar Tsarnaev. I think the international political ramifications of executing this young man would not serve us well. Many nations are against the death penalty. And there are religious factions who might use his death as an excuse to do further harm to our nation.

Some one wrote in today's paper, "It is ironic that terrorists want to destroy our country but when they try, they bring us closer together."

Another person observed" It has become obvious that the objects that require background checks and registrations are backbacks. They conceal all types of weapons and explosives. Without them, killers and terrorists would be severy at a disadvantage. Wake up America."

 

Below is a letter to the Editor of the Wichita Eagle, dated several days ago.

BIBLE CHALLENGE

In reply to an April 12 Opinion Line comment that people believe in the Bible based on faith, not facts: One’s unbelief in the Bible does not keep it from being true. The skeptic was not there at the beginning either, so whatever one believes about it, it is by faith.

Historical records support the Bible. Much of the early texts of the Bible have been found. Many of its prophecies have been and are being fulfilled. Many lives have been changed from despair to hope, from evil to right living, from hate to love.

God answers many prayers when we believe the Bible’s promises. Our trying to fathom God’s ways might be like and ant or a flea trying to figure us out.

Mary Frazier, Wichita, Ks

I feel sorry for Mary Frazier, all the Mary Frazier types of the world.

First of all, she isn’t specifically discussing the Bible, rather the creation story, the one originating with the Judeo-Christian notion of God, as opposed to all those of other religious who ‘know’ the world was created by ‘their’ god or gods.

The Bible is not an accurate history, and it certainly if full of inaccuracies, fables, lies, deceptions, and a few good bits about human nature, human psychology, and human sociology. There are no original texts available. Perhaps, Mary Frazier thinks that the Dead Sea Scrolls are original documents? They are certainly old, but not contemporary to the time they are supposed to be about.

One need not have been around at the beginning to understand science - comprehend geology, evolution, botany, zoology, etc. One need not be a Fred Phelps claiming that homosexuals are the cause of certain things, or like Mary Frazier saying that ’many’ bible prophecies have come true.

I can predict that we will have future tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and wars. I don’t need an invisible friend in the sky to ‘foresee’ the future. Science can often predict certain future occurrences with increased accuracy as to time and place. Meteorology, oceanography, geology and the like can scientifically predict some occurrences well before they happen. It doesn’t take some ancient Moses or Ezekiel or Daniel to simply say that in some future times all hell will break loose. And those who today make such calculations and predictions don’t often say we will have a Tsunami because the Invisible Assumptive is going to bring a bunch of shit down around us because some percentage of the population is gay.

Religion can produce warm and fuzzy feelings, if we don’t get caught up in notions of hell fire and damnation, unpardonable sins, or an angry god who kills entire armies of people - people he is supposed to have created in the first place. If a parent in the 21^st century kills one it’s children, we have laws against that. What do we overlook what this terrible, invisible sky fairy supposedly did, and supposedly still does? And, Mary Frazier, don’t buy into the notion that Jesus changed any of that. He says he came to fulfill the prophecies. Jesus was the original believer, the original Mary Frazier Jim Jones, David Karesh, and Charlie Manson rolled into one. If we actually decide to ignore that god is an angry, jealous MF’er, and that he indiscriminately slaughters masses of people, and does a myriad of truly cruel and unconscionable things, then we are blind to what the Bible has to say. In short, the Mary Frazier types have created the god they want but conveniently forget that they need to go to church with the god of their bible, the angry, baby killing, destructive god of their bible. They have to overlook that their god scoured the earth for the perfect teenager to impregnate, then abandoned her to raise an illegitimate son. We call those things rape, pedophilia, child abandonment and abuse. We prosecute people who do such things.

I cannot justify that there was no other way to save the humanity - a humanity that was so imperfectly manufactured in the first place that thy needed saving - than to condemn Jesus to die a painful and horrific death. We have to consider such a god as a sadist, masochist, pedophilic rapists and a being that turns a death ear when his illegitimate son asks, “Father. Why have you forsaken me?”

There are many ways to lead a productive and happy life. Religion has helped people do that, but it certainly isn’t the only path to a happy existence. That religion has been beneficial is not proof of God, or creation. That there are passages and concepts in the bible that give people hope, faith, solace is not proof of god. It is just good psychology.

I seriously doubt ants or fleas devote much of their day to trying to figure us out.

Yesterday’s daily prayer, by Billy Graham, stated that God will destroy the universe and then re-build it. Billy says he got that answer from the bible. He doesn’t explain where God will be when the Universe is destroyed. How will God step outside the area of destruction if the entire universe is destroyed?

*****

From the Opinion Line;

“How very sad that there are not 60 senators with the courage to tell the NRA where to go. PROFILES IN COURAGE was a relatively small book; PROFILES IN TIMIDITY would be a ponderous tome.”

“The Second Amendment is already well regulated. I wish I could say the same about the First Amendment.”

“An allegation that cannot be refuted is a form of lying.”

(JRM Comment: This last opinion is too wishy-washy to make much sense. If an allegation is itself a lie, and is not refuted, then it remains a lie. But if the allegation is true, and is not refuted, it is still the truth. What about a allegation that could be refuted, but isn’t? Is the allegation true or false? There is no way to tell.)

*****

Kansas legislators now have a bill that says life begins at fertilization. Governor Brownback signed that measure into law yesterday.

I guess I am 9 months older today than I was yesterday. I have some questions.

Will the state spend billions to change all official records - my birth certificated, hospital records, my driver’s license statistics?

Will new birth corticated now state than a baby was 9 month and one fraction of a second old when it popped out of the womb?

Will a woman who has an involuntary miscarriage be tried for murder, or manslaughter.

Will the Invisible Assumptive sky fairy be a co-defendant, he having designed creatures in such a ill-conceived manner that involuntary miscarriages sometimes occur?

Will we now call involuntary miscarriages by the name abortion?

Will such laws go viral, become law in every state so I can then seek 9 months worth of back social security payments?

Will all women be equipped with a device to record the instant of fertilization so our public records will be more accurate than merely back-tracking 9 months?

Will Republicans now stop saying they are for a smaller, less intrusive government?

Will Roe v Wade become null and void by default?

What other mischief can ignorant legislators do to deny humans privacy and personal freedom?

Will Kansans finally wake up and dump Republicans from office?

Will Republicans ever care as much about the living as the unborn?

Attention new commentators. A bombing on a Monday that ends with the capture of the second of two alleged perpetrators on the following Friday is not a week long event. It is a 5-day event, even if it seemed longer. Exaggeration isn't news. It it serves no real purpos, and it isn't accurate reporting.

upon hours of inane chatter on the major "news" networks. Oddly, they all had the same photographs, and none of them knew anything, and yet they kept on gabbing away as if they wre somehow in the "know' of things.

After the capture of Dzhokar Tsarnaev. policemen, FBI agrntesnts and their ilk stood around, relaxed, lauging, many looking over-stuffed. and probably glad to get in some overtime. I'm glad none of them had to run. Many of them are un-fit. When I was a lad, policemen had reigorous physical training. Not so today. The firemen still keep physically fit in my little patch of the world.

The media circus is alive and well. Talking heads asking the same questions over and over because they had nothing else to say. One "analyist" trying to figure out the mindset of DzhoKar Tsarnaev from his Twitter messages. Oh, goodie. Dr. Phil is now transformed into a blond Know-nothing news reader.

Am I sad that this happeed? Yes.

Am I glad Dzhokar Tsarnaev is caught? Yes.

Am I glad there was even more death and distruction? Yes.

Am I proud of the way this was handled? More discouraged than anything. It ran like a re-make of S.W.A.T, now directed by Quenton Tarantino.. With all the "big Names" taking credit as if they had put their lives on the lines.

Will we, as a people, learn anything from the Marathon bombings? Don't count on it.If there are miracles, then it would truly be a miracle if America understood anything about the 'why' of this event.

Meanwhile, what have we learned from the ferlitizer plant explosion in Texas. What? You haven't heard about that?

I'm having a cynical Saturday.

Not to worry. Billy Graham says god will destroy the entire universe, then rebuild it. I hope god stands outside the universe, maybe in a protective mancave, so he won't inadvertenly destroy himself in the process of destroyig the entire universe.

Numb , but not speechless.

Terrorists are not to be taken lightly. The two men considered to be responsible for the bombings in Boston are no exception. One of the suspects is now dead. The other one is being sought.

In this effort, many citizens have been in peril from the myriad of “cowboys’ with heavy armaments out to prove they possess dicks that are slightly larger than a cocktail wiener. The membership of the NRA must be having paroxysms of pure ad unadulterated joy and self satisfaction. Of course, this is Hollywood and television come to life. America loves a showdown - the high speed death that leads to innocent victims being killed, and lives put in danger when perhaps a select few men in blue would be even more productive.

In Wichita, last year, heavily armed police shot an angry woman who was brandishing a knife. That middle-aged old woman should have know better than to take a knife to a gun fight. The police were, of course, exonerated. Last year, yet another speed chase left the driver and passenger of an otherwise uninvolved couple dead when the police car struck their car. The police were, of course, exonerated.

In the wee hours of the morning, twenty blocks of a Boston suburb were locked down while guns blazed and valiant men in blue were involved I a firefight. That left one suspect dead. We are now free to make up our own story as to this man’s original intent; to spin the story to our liking, as it were. No sense in winging the man, disarming him and taking him into custody. He had to die so we as a society could feel safe????

Then came the spin. I heard the same “breaking news” 15 times between 3:30 and 7 in the morning. Rightfully, this should have be stated once as breaking news, and 14 times as a repeat of the earlier breaking news.

News people on several channels stated: This is what we know. They knew noting, and the next words verified their ignorance.

There was a clip of the Chief of Police saying, in effect, that he had ideas, but could confirm nothing. That, then, became “ what we know ….?”

Later:

What we know is, blah, blah, blah. We have a first hand account of a well dressed man who saw nothing. That makes our story better than the other channel where thy reported talking to an poorly dressed bag lady who saw nothing. Add to this, it could be two guys who were domestic terrorists, be Tom McVey had ten toes, and we now know that the dead suspect had ten toes.

Later:

It seems these are two brothers who may have been in our country for a year, or maybe two years, or a decade. They are believed to have come here from Chechnya where there father was a Chicken farmer, or a Chechen, or something. This is what we know so far.

Later:

Boston was on lockdown from these terrorists.

Better stated: Bostonians were terrorized by an army of trigger Dirty Harry Macho types who were as potentially as dangerous at the 19- and 20-year old suspects they sought.

Good police work DOES NOT demand this kind of operation. The suspects were/are dangerous. Another man was killed, and another man wounded, by these two men. The suspects were worthy of being captured and the public safety secured. That is unequivocal. But there were safer ways to achieve this end, but Americans prefer the blood and guts; unless they happen to be the innocent bystander who gets in the crosshairs of an anxious, adrenaline pumped police force.

In the early hours of this morning, two people were shot in Wichita, miles apart. One is dead. Our police force was out in large numbers, armed to the teeth like our fighting men and women in Afghanistan. The chief of police says the two incidents may be linked. He doesn’t know, can’t say for sure, but anything is possible. We had a couple of shootings last week. One lady’s home was invaded. She had her own gun. The bad guys took the gun from her and shot her with her own gun. Kansans are getting gun permits by the thousands per month. The lunacy grows, the fear grows, the obsession grows.

In a letter to the editor in today’s Wichita Eagle, a man says he has a gun for his own protection, and no one has the right to take it away from him, and that he will never use it irresponsibly. Last month, a 4-year old was killed by his brother because the old child got a hold of his father’s gun. A person may be responsible for handling their own weapon, even one kept under lock and key, but locks are made to b broken, and nothing is ever certain.

My friend, Phil, has a hand gun and a shotgun. He feels safe, and may be if he gets robbed while he’s home, and if he is near his gun, and if the bad guys don’t shot him first.

I hope he never gets robbed and has occasion to find out that in his naiveté his sense of security might only be an illusion.

I wonder if America dare ask why other people would do such a thing? Why in a weak economy we have an increasing crime rate? Why people from other countries seem to dislike us so?

Kansas Senators Moran and Roberts vote NO. These ideological freaks of nature are true to the wishes of their handlers, the NRA.