A BREAK FROM POPE MANIA

If you grew up in the fifties then don't sing along with this song - I dare you.

If you didn't grow up in the 50's than you missed the start of rock and roll.

the Ol'Buzzard

POPE MANIA

We are caught in a tsunami of Pope mania.  It is easy to forget that the Pope represents a religion that imposes a broad cavern between perceived reality and what is actually real. 

We now live in a world where the socio-religious would impose their dogma on all mankind.  The purpose of the Catholic Church (and all religions) is to consolidate ignorance under the banner of immortality.  If life after death doesn’t exist there is no reason for religion; so the Catholic Church deals with death by abolishing it.

Twenty percent of the world in Christian and sixty percent of that world is Catholic; and for that Catholic majority the Pope is the direct, infallible representative of God.

It was Popes that instituted the Inquisition from 1231 to 1820.  Millions were tortured by the Catholic Church and died horrible deaths, including many scientific notables at the hands of the inquisition. 

God has released his wrath and then changed his mind many time with the succession of Popes.   Even in the last century Pope Pius XII supported the Nazi rounding up and imprisonment of Jews.

  

Now this Pope is expounding somewhat limited liberal ideals.  Along with addressing climate change he also states that women who have had abortions and homosexuals may not go to hell if they return to the church and confess their sins – not well received by much of the misogynistic Catholic clergy that believe Eve was responsible for original sin and homosexuality is an abomination. 

The Catholic Church, which this Pope represents, requires blind faith and allegiance.

    

The Churches’ doctrines are:

• A belief in the virgin birth and other outlandish miracles.
• The veneration of human sacrifice and transubstantiation.
• Sexual suppression – opposition to birth control…
• Female phobia – dictating female reproduction policies…
• Censorship.
• A promise of resurrection and an afterlife.
• The repression of logic and suppression of scientific enquiry – stem cell research...
• Intolerance, bigotry and pious outrage – organize opposition to gay rights initiatives.
• Expounding a belief in Gods, angles and demons.   Now, in the twenty-first century, the Catholic Church still has a group priest especially trained to perform exorcisms on the mentally ill.

Religion thrives in the absence of reason.   The greater the absurdity the stronger the beliefs. 

This new Pope is expounding some liberal ideas, but saying that women who have had abortions and gays may return to The Church is the equivalent of the evil witch of fairy tales that eats children sending flowers and candy packages to pregnant women.  He is still the representative of a repressive and indoctrinating religion defending twelfth century dogma in a twenty-first century world.

the Ol’Buzzard

FUCKING OLD PEOPLE

"Don't fuck with old people

they don't like being old

and it doesn't take a lot to piss them off."

quote stolen from a Yellowdog Granny post

the Ol'Buzzard

TRUMP IS AHEAD IN THE POLES!

Everyone, both Republican and Democratic pundits, are wondering how Donald Trump is carrying 27% of the Republican Party in the poles.

  

I don’t see what the mystery is.   This is the 27% of the Republican Party base that supported Michele Bachman and Herman Cain in the 2012 election – the same people that elected Louie Gohmert and other Congressional wingnuts.   These are the same people that marched with the tri-cornered hats with tea bags hanging from their clothes; these are the same 27% that live on Fox and Friends.

To me it is no mystery.  These people have always been here but disregarded as nut cases until organized by the Republican Party and given a platform to scream from in the 2008 election when it seemed that a black man was going to be elected President.   

This group is poorly educated, not bright and easily manipulated.  For years the leaders and shapers of the Republican Party gave this group lip service – they fed them bullshit and told them it was cake.   They could count on them showing up at the poles as long as they gave them a piece of red meat to chew on. 

And then in 2008 they showcased them – used them to create dissension at Democratic events and to appeal to racist, conspiracy theorist and religious zealots.     

Now, like the Frankenstein monster the Party can’t control them. 

The Republican mainstream keep reminding us that regardless of his appeal, Trump won’t be their nominee and they are probably right; because at some point there will be a concerted effort to bring him down.   In the meantime they are biding their time to see if he will implode on his own.  

Even if Trump, or anyone else, would run as a third party he would have no chance, because it is not the popular vote that elects the President, but the Electoral College; and the members of the Electoral College are appointed by the two major parties.

The game is fixed.

And let’s not forget that it is fourteen fucking months left before we have a vote.   It is like a fifteen mile marathon and everyone excited about who is ahead at mile one. 

On to a more important subject: I haven’t cleaned the cats litter box this morning and they don’t like it when their box is dirty.

the Ol’Buzzard  

WOMEN AND SEX

I’ve got to admit Yellowdog Granny got me thinking with her post on her hiatus from sex (not sure if she was bragging or complaining.)  

My only knowledge comes from acting as a willing participant; so I really can’t say definitively what women think of sex. 

Jackie Kennedy is quoted as saying, “Sex is a bad thing because it rumples the clothes.”

You may think that was tongue in cheek, but I am not too sure that what she said is not what she meant (ponder this sentence for a minute.)

My wife and I have always had great sex, and still do; the woman spins my prop.    But, I can be naked in bed waiting for her and she might stop and feed the cats or wash a glass left in the sink on her way to the bedroom – If she was in bed waiting for me – hell, a pride of lions couldn’t distract me.

Maybe it is me naked – do you think?   A man in his mid-seventies naked: not the most alluring thing I can think of. 

Sorry, no pics.

 I seem to age, but she doesn’t.   She is still the same beautiful woman who’s bones I jumped standing knee deep in snow, ten feet off a snowshoe trail; what doesn’t seem to me so many years ago.

the Ol’Buzzard  

Thanks to Yellowdog Granny I found the pig.

 I like that last dream

the Ol'Buzzard

THIS AIN’T ANCESTRY.COM

We are an advanced breed of monkey

on a minor planet

of a very average star.

Stephen Hawking

About 6 to 7 million years ago humans and chimpanzees diverged from an earlier primate ancestor, though we still share about 97% of our DNA with our chimp cousins.

Somewhere around 4 million years ago our pre-human ancestors became bipedal, and about 3.5 million years ago Australopithecus Afarensis became distinctly human. 

There were many evolutionary adaptions that developed and died out, but about 1.8 million years ago Homo erectus became identifiable with present day humans.

It was Homo erectus that left the cradle of Africa and spread through Asia and southern Europe. 

Evolutionary adaptations produced Homo Heidelbergensis and then Neanderthal and finally modern humans.   It is estimated that about 2.5% of the DNA of humans outside of Africa is Neanderthal. 

Human evolution is not only obvious from physical appearance and mobility, but also in brain development.

Over the course of human evolution three distinct brains emerged.   The oldest and most primitive is the brain stem and cerebellum (which turns out to be the main structure of the reptilian brain) which controls autonomic body functions.  The next layer of our brain to develop was the hippocampus and hypothalamus which records memories and experiences.  The final layer is the cerebrum that allows language and abstract thought. 

The brain is not static, but constantly rewires itself to adjust to new experiences and demands.  The human brain is even known to repair itself (rewire itself) to bypass effected neurons in stroke victims.

  

Time on an evolutionary scale is vast, and if we survive there is no reason to believe that ‘we’ are the final product of human evolution.  

The future of humans no longer depend on survival skills, size or wit.   We live in a society that services our needs.  We are less active and less imaginative.  We depend more and more on technology.

So what evolutionary changes in the human animal might we expect as people move from a world of personal interaction, required physical activity and survival demands to a virtual reality world of 24/7 TV, computers and cell phones?

Just wondering

the Ol’Buzzard

I SUPPORT TRUMP!

Donald Trump

He’s the man

If he can’t do it

No one can.

Rah rah ree

Kick him in the knee

Rah rah rash

Kick him in the other knee.

I support the Donald 100%.   He is the best thing that could happen - for the Democratic Party.

 

If it wasn’t for Trump the airways would be full of Benghazi and E-Mail Gate and Bill getting a blow job in the oval office and Hillary a murderer and …; also, minute to minute 24/7 attacks on President Obama.

But now, all the Republican’s running for office are playing duck and cover from Trump.  The party doesn’t know what to do with him, and is afraid to confront him. 

Hillary’s e-mails are a back page issue for the media while The Donald is running away with the Republican Party.

 

Where can I get a Donald Trump bumper sticker for my car?

the Ol’Buzzard

ANSWER TO THE PUZZLE

THE BEAR IS WHITE

The woman started from the north pole
She walked three miles south
She walked three miles east
She walked three miles north
She is back where she started

It only works at the North Pole

If she is at the North Pole the bear has to be a polar bear

THE BEAR IS WHITE

the Ol'Buzzard

ZEN: DRAGGING THE BOAT

Two young men left their village to attend a talk by the Buddha.   It was to be a three day journey so the men left a day early to insure they would arrive in plenty of time to enjoy the preceding. 

 After two days they arrived at a river only to find the bridge had been destroyed.  Knowing they had an extra day they set about constructing a boat from bamboo and reeds.   The next morning they made the crossing and were feeling confident as they still had a day for travel.

 

The oldest man said that it was such a fine boat it would be a shame to leave it, so they each grabbed a gunnel and started down the road.

   

The men arrived in village just as the Buddha finished talking.   They approached the Buddha and told him how disappointed they were to have missed his talk.   The Buddha look at the men and the boat and asked why they dragging a boat.  The men said they had built it to cross the river and that it was such a fine boat they could not leave it.  

The Buddha smiled and walked away.

I sit here in my den/office/man-cave or whatever you want to call this room that all the artifacts of decades of my life are jumbled into and look around at the boat that I have been dragging: books on sky diving (not going to happen,) books on white water canoeing ( I no longer own a canoe,) survival gear, hunting and fishing gear, pictures and artifacts hanging on the walls, three boxes of cassette tapes ( I no longer own a cassette player,) Sherlock Holmes collections and the list could go on.

I have been dragging most of this stuff around with me for decades – some for over fifty years.  

I tend to think of this stuff as defining me; but in truth I was a different person at each time this stuff represents.   However, they bring back pleasant memories.

You can’t stand in the same river twice.

I guess we all drag our boats, and perhaps that is only a bad thing when it prevents us from living in the present or obstructs our future goals.

Hell I don’t know

Just rambling

the Ol’Buzzard

A PUZZLE TO END THE WEEK WITH

I often read more than one book at a time.   At present I am reading a book on mathematics trivia, a western and a book of logic.    The following teaser was from the logic book - though I have heard the same problem before.

 A woman  begins at point A and walks south three miles,

She then turns east and walks three miles, 

Finally she turns north and walks three miles 

She finds she is back at her starting point

What color is the bear?


I'm just asking
the Ol'Buzzard

BILLIONAIRES

THIS IS WHO REALLY RUNS THIS COUNTRY

They bought it a long time ago. 

Dave Mallett Maine Folk singer.

You might want to watch it once, then close your eyes and listen to it.

I couldn't say it any better
 the Ol'Buzzard